President Donald Trump criticized Harvard University for enrolling foreign students whose countries allegedly contribute nothing financially toward their education.

Trump Challenges Harvard on Transparency

On Sunday, President Donald Trump sharply criticized Harvard University over the enrollment of foreign students whose home countries, according to Trump, pay "nothing" toward their education. Trump's remarks, made through a series of posts on Truth Social, come amidst an escalating dispute between his administration and Harvard regarding foreign student visas and federal funding.

"Why isn’t Harvard saying that almost 31% of their students are from FOREIGN LANDS, and yet those countries, some not at all friendly to the United States, pay NOTHING toward their student’s education, nor do they ever intend to," Trump stated early Sunday. "Nobody told us that!"

The president emphasized the need for transparency, demanding the identities and nationalities of the foreign students attending Harvard. He argued that this request is reasonable, given the billions of dollars Harvard receives in federal funding. Trump urged Harvard, which possesses an endowment exceeding $52 billion, to utilize its own financial resources rather than relying on taxpayer funds.

"We want to know who those foreign students are, a reasonable request since we give Harvard BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, but Harvard isn’t exactly forthcoming," Trump continued. "We want those names and countries. Harvard has $52,000,000, use it, and stop asking for the Federal Government to continue GRANTING money to you!"

Visa Program Controversy Intensifies

The dispute intensified on Friday when a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration's move to terminate Harvard’s student visa program. This followed Harvard's lawsuit accusing the administration of constitutional violations, including breaches of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Harvard's lawsuit argues the policy could negatively impact over 7,000 visa holders—roughly a quarter of the student body. The university claims this action represents a "clear retaliation" for Harvard’s refusal to comply with administration demands regarding control over governance, curricula, and faculty and student "ideology."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiated the cancellation of Harvard's visa certification after the university reportedly refused to provide extensive behavioral records requested by the agency. These records included video footage of protests involving visa-holding students, disciplinary histories from the past five years, and documentation of any illegal or violent student activity.

Harvard described the DHS's policy as "pernicious," stating it deviated from longstanding procedures without rational explanation. According to the university, the abrupt policy shift has disrupted the lives of thousands of international students.

At least twelve Harvard students have already had their visas revoked due to participation in campus protests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently informed Congress that the administration has revoked "thousands" of student visas nationwide and would "proudly" revoke more.

The administration has additionally frozen nearly $3 billion in federal research funding to Harvard. This decision stems from accusations that the university inadequately addressed alleged campus antisemitism during protests and failed to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

This ongoing conflict underscores significant tensions between the Trump administration's immigration policies, university autonomy, and broader debates over foreign student enrollment at elite U.S. institutions.

Fox News contributed to this report.