U.S. Threatens to Withhold Harvard Funding Amid Pro-Palestinian Campus Activism
The U.S. President plans his first foreign trip of his second term to finalize a $1 trillion Saudi investment deal, while escalating scrutiny over Ivy League universities facing pro-Palestinian protests.
Watan-The White House announced on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia in May. Two days earlier, the news site Axios reported that Trump is planning to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May, marking his first foreign trip since taking office for a second term.
Earlier this month, Trump stated that his likely first overseas visit would be to Saudi Arabia, where he aims to finalize a deal in which Riyadh would invest over $1 trillion in the U.S. economy, including the purchase of military equipment.
Harvard Funding Under Review as Trump Eyes Tariffs and Campus Crackdown
Meanwhile, on Monday, U.S. authorities announced that the government will reconsider the $9 billion in funding allocated to Harvard University, following allegations of “antisemitism” on campus related to the pro-Palestinian student movement. This comes after millions of dollars were withdrawn from Columbia University, which also witnessed pro-Palestinian student protests.
Next on Trump’s list after Columbia is Harvard, where officials will review contracts worth $255.6 million between the government and the university, in addition to $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to the Ivy League institution.
At the same time, U.S. economic partners are bracing for impact on Wednesday, anticipating Trump’s announcement of tightened tariffs—a new phase in his still-opaque trade war. All countries are weighing their options as they await clarity on the U.S. President’s exact plans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated, “We are open to negotiation (…) but we have a strong plan if necessary.”
