Trump administration takes aim at Harvard's international students and tax-exempt status

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has escalated its ongoing battle with Harvard, threatening to block the university from enrolling international students as the president called for withdrawing Harvard’s tax-exempt status.

The moves raise the stakes of the showdown between the White House and the nation's oldest, wealthiest and arguably most prestigious university, which on Monday became the first to openly defy the administration’s demands related to activism on campus, antisemitism and diversity.

“I think Harvard's a disgrace,” President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security ordered Harvard on Tuesday to turn over “detailed records" of its foreign student visa holders ’ "illegal and violent activities” by April 30. It also said it was canceling two grants to the school totaling $2.7 million.

By taking action against international students and the school's tax status, the administration struck at two pillars of Harvard, where international students make up 27% of the campus, and the majority of the student body is in graduate school, often conducting globally prominent research. The school has risen to distinction by attracting the world’s top talent and large tax-deductible gifts from the country’s richest donors.

The federal government has already frozen more than $2 billion in grants and contracts to the Ivy League institution.

Leo Gerdén, a senior from Sweden, said many international students at Harvard are “scared of speaking up” because they feel attending the school has put a target on their back.

“All student visas right now at Harvard are at risk, and what the Trump administration is trying to do is divide us,” Gerdén said.

“Harvard without its international community is simply not Harvard,” added Gerdén, who is studying economics and government. If the institution were unable to admit people from abroad, “it would be incredibly tough for this university, for its students, for its academic community. So we should really fight with whatever means we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

The threat to Harvard’s ability to host international students comes as the Trump administration has quietly deleted the records and ended the legal status of international students at schools across the country. The students have been left with no clear recourse to regain their legal status in the U.S. They fear deportation.

At least 1,024 students at 160 colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated since late March, according to an Associated Press review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court records. Many students said they had no legal infractions aside from minor traffic violations.

Some of the government’s demands of Harvard touched directly on the campus activism that first triggered federal scrutiny of elite universities.

The Trump administration, in a letter on Friday, told Harvard to impose tougher discipline on protesters and to screen international students for those who are “hostile to the American values.”

It also called for broad leadership reforms at the university, changes to admissions policies and the removal of college recognition for some student clubs. The government also demanded Harvard audit its faculty and student body to ensure wide viewpoints in every department and, if necessary, diversify by admitting additional students and hiring new faculty.

On Monday, Harvard said it would not comply, citing the First Amendment. The following day, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, questioning whether the university should lose its tax-exempt status “if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’”

The White House suggested IRS scrutiny of Harvard’s tax status had already started before the president's social media post. Federal tax law prohibits senior members of the executive branch from requesting that an IRS employee conduct or terminate an audit or investigation.

“Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution’s violations of its tax status were initiated prior to the President’s TRUTH,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields said in an email Thursday.

However, a person familiar with the matter said the Treasury Department directed Andrew De Mello, the IRS acting chief counsel, to begin the process of revoking Harvard’s tax-exempt status shortly after Trump’s post. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Trump told reporters Thursday that a decision on revoking the university’s tax-exempt status hadn’t been made yet. “Tax-exempt status, it’s a privilege. It’s really a privilege. And it’s been abused by a lot more than Harvard," Trump said. "So we’ll see how it all works out. “

Tax exemptions enable universities to receive large donations from major funders who want to decrease their tax burdens, which was instrumental in helping Harvard amass the nation’s largest university endowment at $53 billion.

The Trump administration has already hampered Harvard's ability to fund its research and operations. After Harvard President Alan Garber said Monday the university would not bend to the government’s demands, the White House announced the freeze of more than $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in contracts.

The hold on federal money for research marked the seventh time the administration has taken such a step at one of the nation’s most elite colleges. Republicans say the schools have allowed antisemitism and racial discrimination to fester in the form of pro-Palestinian protests and have promoted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives contrary to the administration's directives.

Separately, the House Oversight Committee said Thursday that it would open an investigation into Harvard, accusing the school of a “lack of compliance with civil rights laws.”

In a statement Thursday, the university reiterated: "Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” Harvard, the school said, “will continue to comply with the law and expect the Administration to do the same.”

Christopher Rufo, who has pioneered several GOP strategies related to education, said the Trump administration should use against Harvard the same tools it used during the Civil Rights Movement to force desegregation, including stripping nonprofit status. Rufo said Harvard has discriminated against white and Asian American students, citing events such as graduation celebrations and a 2021 theater performance “exclusively for Black-identifying audience members.”

“Cut the funding and watch the university implode,” he said Tuesday on social media.

Nonprofit status, which is required for donations to be tax deductible, is contingent on an organization following IRS rules governing lobbying, political campaign activity and annual reporting obligations, among other requirements.

While “it’s easy for a 501(c)(3) organization to maintain its tax exempt status," according to IRS publications, it "can be just as easy to lose it.”

Former Harvard President Larry Summers, who also served as Treasury secretary under former President Bill Clinton, decried the threat to remove Harvard's status.

“Any self-respecting Treasury Secretary would resign rather than have the Department be complicit in the weaponization of the IRS against a political adversary of the President,” he said on social media.

Trump’s campaign to force change at elite universities started at Columbia University, which initially agreed to several demands after the Trump administration froze $400 million of its federal funding.

But Columbia took a more emboldened tone after Harvard’s defiance. Columbia's acting president, Claire Shipman, said in a campus message Monday that some of the demands “are not subject to negotiation” and that she read of Harvard’s rejection with “great interest.”

Archon Fung, a professor of democracy at Harvard, called for “friends of academic freedom” and higher education to stand together.

“The government has an enormous amount of power — taxing power, investigatory power,” Fung said. “I don’t know who wins that struggle in the end.”

Associated Press education writers Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Archon Fung, professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, addresses students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Archon Fung, professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, addresses students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Students, faculty and members of the Harvard University community rally, Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

A passer-by walks through a gate to the Harvard University campus, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school's conduct policy. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Visitors stop at the statue of John Harvard in Harvard Yard at Harvard University, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Harvard University logo is displayed on a building at the school, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Spring buds appear on a tree near Eliot House, rear, at Harvard University, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 16, 2025--

Faraday Future Intelligent Electric Inc. (NASDAQ: FFAI) (“Faraday Future”, “FF” or the “Company”), a California-based global shared intelligent electric mobility ecosystem company, today shared a weekly business update from YT Jia, Founder and Co-CEO of FF.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250615190126/en/

It’s time for Issue 007 of the Weekly Investor Update. This week brings several seismic developments we’re excited to share with you.

Again, starting with S1 User Ecosystem

First, we’ve achieved another breakthrough in B2B pre-order collection for our upcoming FX model. We signed with Pinnacle Real Estate Group, the largest Chinese-American real estate brokerage in Southern California, a binding deposit agreement for 1,000 units of FX Super One, which includes a non-refundable deposit and a non-binding reservation, bringing total B2B binding deposits for the FX Super One to coverage of 3,500 non-binding pre-orders.

This establishes a global first: a “B2B2C” collaboration between an automotive company and a real estate brokerage. This is a highly innovative, asset-light sales model that is unprecedented in our industry, creating a disruptive eco-chemistry between the AIEV and real estate sectors, setting the stage for co-creation, sharing, and win-win outcomes. More collaborations with major real estate brokerages are underway to pioneer unique programs such as “Luxury Car + Luxury Home” and “Drive Home Together” (Car-and-Home Bundle Purchase). These initiatives will become a powerful user acquisition engine for FX to unlock mass market and craft blockbuster products.

This is another key innovation in our integrated model of Co-Creation Ecosystem Online Direct Sales and offline B2B sales. I will share more details in the near future.

Second, today it's finally time to announce Mariah Carey to be the next FF 91 2.0 Futurist Alliance owner. Her new car will be delivered soon. In the official music video for her newly released single Type Dangerous, both the FF 91 and FFZERO1 make a stunning appearance. I dare say, only a vehicle chosen by iconic superstars like Mariah Carey truly lives up to the name Ultimate AI TechLuxury.

This co-creation marks the formation of a virtuous cycle of high recognition and high loyalty for the FF brand, signaling our entry into a new stage of global cultural co-creation at the highest level. Buckle up, more GOAT-level celebrities and Hall of Famers may soon be joining the co-creation with FF, FX, and FX Super One, creating transformative value for the industry.

Next up, S2 to S4, Products and Technologies

We are in the middle of system integration for FX Super One’s custom-built AI software.We plan to showcase its unique capabilities at both the June 29 Private Preview & Co-Creation Event and the July 17 First Online Global Product Launch.

Moving on to S5, Capital Markets and finance

The second round of share purchase commitments by FX CEO Max, FF CFO Koti, and several other executives, totaling $60,000, has been officially approved and processed this week. Just like Jerry’s and my earlier share purchases, these transactions comply with the required cooling-off period rules for public companies. The broker will automatically process the transactions once that window closes. These insider purchases reflect management’s strong confidence in the company’s long-term value and are yet another demonstration of our core principle: “Stockholders First.”

It’s been an encouraging week for our stock performance—a sincere thank you to all our investors and retail stockholders for your ongoing support. That said, we must remain grounded. There’s still plenty of work ahead. For instance, during initial talks with certain supply chain partners, FF’s past history can sometimes make it difficult to quickly establish trust. That kind of “first impression bias” often means we have to work even harder to prove ourselves.

But, as I said at the Blue Book Forum a few days ago— once these partners take the time to understand us and engage in honest, transparent dialogue, they’ll see that we not only have a unique strategy and solid planning, but also the capability, experience, and resources to follow through on our promises. In fact, many S Tier 1 suppliers who recently visited us have told us that FF is more determined, more practical, and more relentless than they ever expected.

I want to take this moment to sincerely thank all the suppliers and partners who have put their trust in FF and FX—especially our S Tier 1 suppliers. Your confidence in us continues to be one of our greatest driving forces. We’re fully committed to creating the greatest possible value for you.

Next week promises to be another busy and challenging stretch—but also one full of opportunities. I look forward to sharing more progress next week. Talk soon!”

ABOUT FARADAY FUTURE

Faraday Future is the pioneer of the Ultimate AI Tech Luxury ultra spire market in the intelligent EV era, and the disruptor of the traditional ultra-luxury car civilization epitomized by Ferrari and Maybach. FF is not just an EV Company, but also a software-driven intelligent internet Company. Ultimately, FF aims to become a User Company by offering a shared intelligent mobility ecosystem. FF remains dedicated to advancing electric vehicle technology to meet the evolving needs and preferences of users worldwide, driven by the pursuit of intelligent and AI-driven mobility.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release includes “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “plans,” “desire,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” and “future,” variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding production capacity expansion, the FX brand, the Super One MPV, future FX models, future FX reservations, expansion into new states and markets, and production and sales goals, are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside the Company’s control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.

Important factors, among others, that may affect actual results or outcomes include, among others: the number of vehicles that Pinnacle Real Estate Group ultimately chooses to purchase from the Company, which may be as few as one; the ability of Pinnacle Real Estate Group to identify purchasers for the Super One; the Company’s ability to expand production facility, which will be time-consuming and costly; market demand for MPVs and MPV rentals; the Company’s ability to secure the necessary funding to execute on its AI, EREV and Faraday X (FX) strategies, each of which will be substantial; the Company’s ability to design and develop EREV technology; the Company’s ability to design and develop AI-based solutions; competition in the AI and EREV areas, where actual or potential competitors have or are likely to have substantial advantages relative to the Company, including but not limited to experience, expertise, funding, infrastructure and personnel; the ability of the Company to execute across multiple concurrent strategies, including the UAE, bridge strategy, or FX, EREV, AI, and US geographic expansion; the Company's ability to secure necessary agreements to license third-party range extender technology and/or license or produce FX vehicles in the U.S., the Middle East, or elsewhere, none of which have been secured; and the Company's ability to secure necessary permits at its Hanford, CA production facility; the potential impact of tariff policy; the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern and improve its liquidity and financial position; the Company’s ability to pay its outstanding obligations; the Company’s history of losses and expectation of continued losses; the Company’s ability to execute on its plans to develop and market its vehicles and the timing of these development programs; the Company’s estimates of the size of the markets for its vehicles and cost to bring those vehicles to market; the rate and degree of market acceptance of the Company’s vehicles; the Company’s ability to cover future warranty claims; the success of other competing manufacturers; the performance and security of the Company’s vehicles; current and potential litigation involving the Company; the Company’s ability to receive funds from, satisfy the conditions precedent of and close on the various financings described elsewhere by the Company; the result of future financing efforts, the failure of any of which could result in the Company seeking protection under the Bankruptcy Code; the Company’s indebtedness; the Company’s ability to cover future warranty claims; the Company’s ability to use its “at-the-market” program; insurance coverage; general economic and market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s products; the Company’s dependence on its suppliers and contract manufacturer; the Company's ability to develop and protect its technologies; the Company's ability to protect against cybersecurity risks; and the ability of the Company to attract and retain employees, any adverse developments in existing legal proceedings or the initiation of new legal proceedings, and volatility of the Company’s stock price. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 31, 2025, and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC.

Mariah Carey will Become the Next FF 91 2.0 Owner