President Donald Trump blasted The New York Times for its "phony article" claiming he had "backtracked" on demands that Harvard pay the government hundreds of millions of dollars for promoting leftist ideology and failing to police antisemitism on campus.
In a series of Truth Social posts late Monday and early Tuesday, Trump accused the newspaper of spreading false information to protect Harvard and undermine his administration's efforts to hold elite universities accountable.
"Why hasn't the Fake News New York Times adjusted its phony article on the corruption and antisemitism which has taken place at Harvard," Trump wrote Tuesday morning. "They never call for facts, or factchecks, because the Times is a corrupt, unprincipled, and pathetic vehicle of the Left."
The Times reported Monday that Trump had dropped a demand that Harvard pay $200 million to the federal government as part of ongoing negotiations.
Trump forcefully rejected that account, calling the story "completely wrong" and demanding an immediate correction.
"We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University," Trump wrote late Monday night.
"This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings."
The Trump administration is now seeking $1 billion from Harvard as part of a broader campaign aimed at elite universities Trump says are dominated by radical left ideology and have failed to protect Jewish students amid a surge in antisemitic incidents.
In his Monday night Truth post, Trump accused Harvard of feeding "nonsense" to the Times and attempting to evade accountability by proposing what he described as an inadequate job training program instead of paying a substantial settlement.
"That was merely a way of Harvard getting out of a large cash settlement of more than $500 million," Trump wrote, adding that the figure should be "much higher" given what he described as "serious and heinous illegalities."
Trump also sharply criticized Harvard President Dr. Alan Garber, questioning his leadership and noting he was hired after antisemitism allegations against the university had already surfaced.
The Times acknowledged that shortly after publishing its report, Trump publicly contradicted its account and escalated his demands, saying the administration's investigations should now be criminal in nature.
Despite claims from anonymous sources cited by the Times that negotiations remain fluid, Trump insisted there has been no retreat.
He also renewed his broader criticism of the newspaper, pointing to what he called its consistently negative coverage of him, including its election reporting.
"They got the Election wrong, they got this story wrong, and they always get me wrong," Trump wrote. "FAKE NEWS!"
Harvard has declined to comment publicly, but the university remains heavily dependent on federal research funding — leverage Trump has said his administration is prepared to use as the case moves forward.
Reuters and AFP contributed to this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.