Trump threatens to send Harvard grant money to trade schools

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to divert billions in grant dollars away from Harvard University and give those funds to trade schools across the United States, escalating his clash with the elite institution.

In a social media post, Trump accused Harvard of fostering antisemitism and proposed redirecting the funds to bolster trade education, describing the move as a "great investment" urgently needed for the country.

"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!" Trump said in a post on social media.

In another social media post, Trump said that the government was still waiting for Harvard University to submit the information of international students, and Harvard was "very slow" in presenting these documents.

The Trump administration has already moved to freeze funding and block Harvard's ability to enroll international students in an intensifying battle over what the president has cast as a failure by the Ivy League university and others to crack down on antisemitism. Harvard is the oldest and richest U.S. university with a 53 billion U.S. dollars endowment.

Harvard University currently hosts nearly 6,800 international students from over 140 countries. According to data from the university, as of the fall semester of 2023, international students accounted for over 27 percent of the total student population.

Trump threatens to send Harvard grant money to trade schools

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation