Trump live updates: President threatens Harvard tax status after Obama calls funding freeze ‘ham-handed’
Former president Barack Obama has condemned the Trump administration’s freezing of $2.3 billion in funding to Harvard University as “unlawful” and “ham-handed.”
The White House has frozen more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts for Harvard University after the school refused to comply with a long list of demands.
The university said it would not “surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights” after the administration demanded it make sweeping changes to its leadership, governance, and admissions.
Later, Donald Trump suggested the university should lose its tax-exempt status.
Separately, the president said he would “love” to send “homegrown criminals” to prisons in El Salvador, a day after hosting the country’s president at the White House.
Trump also suggested that income from higher tariffs could be “so great” that it could replace income tax.
Earlier, the London stock market surged in response to comments from Vice President JD Vance, who said there was a “good chance” of a trade deal between the U.S. and Britain.
