Trump says he's close to striking a deal with Harvard

WASHINGTON – In an abrupt shift, President Donald Trump has signaled that his monthslong pressure campaign against Harvard University could be nearing an end.

In a social media post on June 20, he said his administration is "working closely" with Harvard officials, who have "acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right."

"It is very possible that a Deal will be announced over the next week or so," Trump said. He used the term "Settlement" when describing a potential resolution, appearing to indicate the detente could sort out Harvard's pending lawsuits against the federal government.

Trump's comments follow a string of legal wins for Harvard's leaders, who vowed in April to fight back against what many onlookers in higher education have described as unprecedented interference by the federal government in a campus's affairs.

The Trump administration has frozen billions of dollars of Harvard's federal funding, launched a review of the school's tax-exempt status and attempted to prevent the university from enrolling international students, who make up a third of its student population.

The White House says it has taken those actions in large part to force Harvard to better curb antisemitism on campus. Critics say that rationale doesn't reflect the massive changes in hiring, teaching and admissions the administration has tried to impose on the Ivy League school.

Mere hours after the university filed a new lawsuit against Trump in June, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs blocked the federal government from preventing Harvard from enrolling foreign students. Burroughs extended that ban indefinitely on June 20 while litigation between the White House and Harvard continues.