Trump slams US Harvard as 'antisemitic, far left institution' as the university prepares to take on US government

US President Donald Trump slammed Harvard as an "antisemitic, far left institution" on Thursday, as the university prepares to take on his administration in court over its decision to freeze federal funding.

The Trump administration has launched an unprecedented crackdown on elite American universities following last year's student-led protests against Israel's war on Gaza at college campuses, including a list of demands against Harvard.

Harvard has refused to comply with Trump administration's "impossible" dictates, prompting the administration to freeze more than $2.2 billion in federal funding.

The government has also threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status and ban it from enrolling foreign students, something that would have serious financial implications for the university.

In his latest broadside on Thursday, Trump accused the Ivy League institution of posing a "threat to democracy" and accused the university - which has produced eight US presidents - of accepting international students who "want to rip our country apart".

"The place is a liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake ANGER AND HATE," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The post comes days after Harvard filed a lawsuit against the government contesting its decision to freeze funding, which it says violates the constitution and federal laws.

"The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting," the university's president, Alan Garber, wrote in a letter announcing the legal action.

Hundreds of universities and colleges have backed Harvard, accusing the administration of "unprecedented government overreach and political interference" in a joint letter on Tuesday.

The government has threatened to withhold funding and take other punitive actions against other elite universities if they do not clamp down on alleged antisemitism and end diversity programmes, something academics claim is a political attack against free speech.

Authorities have also accused foreign students involved in pro-Gaza demonstrations of 'supporting terrorism' and revoked hundreds of visas. Several high-profile students have been detained by immigration officials and face deportation, despite being permanent residents in the country.

The latest move against Harvard comes a day after Trump signed an executive order that re-writes accreditation rules that determine which universities can access funding. The order aims to crack down on university programmes that try to improve the representation of minorities.

The administration has used last year's pro-Palestine students protests as a pretext for its assault on US higher education. It alleges university administrators have allowed antisemitism to flourish on campuses, despite many of them harshly cracking down on student demonstrators and many having links to Israel and Israeli companies.

Harvard has also cracked down on students and academics perceived as being strongly anti-Israel, something that people have pointed out undermines Trump's accusations that the university is 'antisemitic'. 

In a rebuke to the Trump administration, five Jewish lawmakers – including House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer – on Thursday accused it of weaponising antisemitism to impose its political agenda on universities.

"It has become abundantly clear that for this administration, the stated goal of fighting antisemitism… is imply a means to an end to attack our nation's universities," they wrote in a joint letter on Thursday.

The attacks "are aimed at undermining or even destroying these vital institutions while hiding behind claims of tackling antisemitism as a guise", the lawmakers said.

Yale University on Wednesday banned a pro-Palestinian student group after its members gathered to oppose the attendance of Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a visit that received praise from the Trump administration.

In another post on Thursday, Trump also attacked pro-Israel media baron Rupert Murdoch for news coverage at The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.

"Rupert Murdoch has told me for years that he is going to get rid of his Fox News, Trump Hating, Fake Pollster, but he has never done so … Also, and while he’s at it, he should start making changes at the China Loving Wall Street Journal. It sucks!!!"