During a news conference held in the Oval Office on May 30, 2025, US President Donald Trump expressed his support for international students attending American universities while emphasizing his opposition to those "causing trouble." He notably singled out Harvard University amid ongoing legal scrutiny over its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, which allows the institution to sponsor foreign students.
Trump highlighted that nearly 30 percent of Harvard's student body comprises international students and stated that the United States has distributed over $5 billion in grants to Harvard in a short span. He remarked, "Nobody knew that. We found that out... it was sort of a Trump thing."
The President criticized Harvard’s position, labeling it "very anti-semitic," which has contributed to the current legal disputes surrounding the institution. This comes after US District Judge Allison D. Burroughs ruled on the matter to prevent revocation of Harvard’s SEVP certification. Additionally, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem accused Harvard of fostering violence, antisemitism, and alleged collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party on campus.
Trump remarked, "We’re having it out with them, and let’s see what happens. It’s a very sad case. It’s a case we win. We can’t lose that case because we have the right to make grants. We’re not going to make any grants like that." He also stated, "We want to have great students here. We just don’t want students that are causing trouble."
In contrasting Harvard with other institutions, Trump said, "They’ve acted very well, and there are other institutions, too, that are acting, but Harvard’s trying to be a big shot. And all that happens is every three days, we find another $100 million that was given." He added that recently an additional $200 million in grants to Harvard had been discovered, describing the funding as "given like gravy."
Advocating for a change in funding priorities, Trump proposed redirecting resources to trade schools that train students in skilled labor such as motor and engine repair and rocket ship construction. "I’d like to see trade schools set up because you could take $5 billion plus hundreds of billions more, which is what’s spent, and you could have the greatest trade school system anywhere in the world," he noted. Elon Musk, present during the conference, agreed with the suggestion.
Trump shared a personal note on the value of skilled tradespeople: "I went to school with people that could fix the engine of a car better than anybody I’ve ever seen. Take it apart blindfolded. It’s a very skilled job." He concluded that significant investment in trade schools could yield considerable benefits, emphasizing that current spending on institutions like Harvard represents wasted potential.
