Trump’s $3 billion Harvard threat hides deep GOP cuts to US education support

President Donald Trump’s escalating campaign against Harvard University took a new turn over the weekend as he threatened to revoke billions in federal education grants. In a fiery statement, Trump declared his intent to strip Harvard of $3 billion in funding and reallocate it to trade schools, claiming that foreign students are “taking places reserved for American kids.” But the president’s rhetoric, critics argue, masks a deeper policy shift that could severely harm the very working-class students he claims to defend.The controversy centers around Trump’s recent move to block Harvard from hosting international students, citing national security and antisemitism concerns. On May 26, 2025, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land. What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!” However, behind this populist language lies a budget proposal that could slash financial aid for hundreds of thousands of low-income US students.A misleading attack framed as support for American studentsTrump’s public justification for targeting Harvard hinges on the claim that international students are crowding out domestic applicants. “They can’t go there because you have 31 percent foreign,” Trump told reporters, insisting that American students are being denied spots in top universities. But as The New Republic reported, Trump’s assertion comes amid his support for a Republican-backed budget bill that would drastically reduce access to federal student aid.The budget, recently passed by House Republicans, proposes changes to Pell Grants that could eliminate eligibility for up to 700,000 students. According to The New Republic, the bill would make it harder for full-time students to qualify, remove many part-time students entirely, and increase overall costs for those who still qualify. Jonathan Fansmith, senior vice president at the American Council on Education, told The New Republic that “millions of college students will wind up paying a lot more, and low-income students will be by far the hardest hit.“Billions cut from financial aid while tax breaks expand for the wealthyWhile Trump portrays his trade school initiative as a boost for American workers, the financial reality is starkly different. The same bill that expands Pell Grant access to certain vocational programs also introduces new eligibility restrictions. As detailed by The New Republic, analyses from American University and EdTrust indicate that these changes will make it harder for many vocational students to access those same grants.Moreover, the budget’s overall impact heavily favors wealthier Americans. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the proposed cuts to education spending will free up hundreds of billions of dollars, primarily to finance another round of tax cuts for high-income earners. This redirection of funds, critics argue, exposes the administration’s real priorities.A campaign of power, not policyTrump’s crackdown on Harvard has less to do with genuine policy concerns and more with consolidating control over liberal institutions. The revocation of Harvard’s ability to host international students followed an intrusive demand for information that appeared designed to be unmet—creating, as The New Republic put it, “a pretext for Trump to broaden his attack.” After Harvard filed a lawsuit, a court temporarily blocked the revocation within hours.Ultimately, Trump’s rhetoric paints a false zero-sum picture: that foreign students are to blame for the challenges faced by working-class Americans. As The New Republic notes, this narrative makes it easier to justify stripping resources from educational institutions and redistributing them upwards through tax policy. Far from empowering working families, the MAGA agenda appears to be undermining the very ladders of opportunity that education was meant to provide.