Trump says he will take away Harvard University’s tax-exempt status

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he planned to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, the latest salvo against the Ivy League school amid a larger crackdown on elite US universities.

"We are going to be taking away Harvard’s tax-exempt status. It’s what they deserve!" Trump said in a post on his social media platform, without specifying when he might take action.

Since taking office in January, Trump has targeted major US universities by freezing federal funding, launching investigations, revoking student visas and making other demands, saying higher education has been gripped by antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist and "radical left" ideologies.

Harvard has pushed back, suing the administration over the halted US research funding and other demands, and joining more than 200 university and college presidents in protesting Trump's higher education policies.