Trump seeks 1 bln USD from Harvard University after report says earlier demand was dropped

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Monday that his administration is seeking 1 billion U.S. dollars in damages from Harvard University, after a report said earlier that demand had been dropped.

"We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University," Trump said on Truth Social.

The U.S. president also lashed out at reports from The New York Times, claiming that "Strongly Antisemitic Harvard University has been feeding a lot of 'nonsense' to The Failing New York Times."

"They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down in that it was wholly inadequate and would not have been, in our opinion, successful. It was merely a way of Harvard getting out of a large cash settlement of more than 500 Million Dollars," Trump said.

Trump's latest statement came a few hours after The New York Times reported that Trump has "backtracked on a major point in negotiations with Harvard," dropping his administration's demand for a 200-million-dollar payment to the government in hopes of finally resolving the administration's conflicts with the university.

The report said that Trump administration officials have indicated in recent days that the president no longer expects such a payment, according to Harvard and Trump officials briefed on the matter.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has targeted several top U.S. universities, warning that failure to adjust their policies would result in funding cuts. Key demands from the Trump administration include eradicating anti-Semitism on campus and eliminating diversity initiatives favoring minority groups.