White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed reporters, confirming that President Donald Trump is now demanding $1 billion from Harvard University as part of ongoing negotiations over allegations of antisemitism and civil rights violations on campus. The statement followed Trump’s public escalation of the dispute earlier, highlighting frustrations within the administration and signaling a potential impasse in talks aimed at resolving long-standing issues from prior years.

Leavitt: "He is now demanding $1 billion from Harvard University" pic.twitter.com/0JZUiwQXz5

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 5, 2026

During the press briefing, a reporter questioned Leavitt about the shift in the administration’s position, noting the increase from previous figures and inquiring about the status of negotiations. Leavitt described the process as an ongoing and frustrating negotiation for the president and the administration. She emphasized that the White House seeks a deal, but expressed disappointment that Harvard has delayed in acknowledging the need to address what she termed wrongs and illegal behavior on campus over the past several years under the previous administration. Leavitt added that the president wants a justified deal to correct for that criminal behavior. She confirmed that Trump is now demanding $1 billion from Harvard University and stated that Secretary McMahon will continue to lead the negotiations.

Strongly Antisemitic Harvard University has been feeding a lot of “nonsense” to The Failing New York Times. Harvard has been, for a long time, behaving very badly! They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down in that it was wholly inadequate and…

— Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) February 3, 2026

The press secretary’s remarks came shortly after Trump himself intensified the confrontation through a post on Truth Social. In that statement, the president declared that his administration is now seeking one billion dollars in damages and expressed a desire to have nothing further to do with Harvard University in the future. He accused the university of serious wrongdoing, labeled it as strongly antisemitic, and suggested the matter should be handled as a criminal case rather than a civil dispute. Trump also directed criticism at Harvard President Alan Garber, saying he had done a terrible job of rectifying a very bad situation.

Harvard has remained at the center of the Trump administration’s push for greater oversight of elite universities, particularly in response to claims that administrators did not sufficiently address antisemitism on campus. This focus aligns with broader initiatives to ensure accountability in higher education institutions. Hard-liners within the administration had advocated for a substantial financial penalty from the outset, while Harvard leaders have pushed back, contending that a direct payment to the Treasury would compromise the school’s independence and draw opposition from faculty, students, and alumni.