Many students and alumni lauded the university's decision to stand its ground, despite the consequences. Former President Barack Obama, an alumnus himself, called Trump's move "ham-handed" and praised Harvard as "an example for other higher-ed institutions".

After freezing $2.2 billion in funding to Harvard University, President Trump turned up the pressure yesterday and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. The fight between the Trump administration and the nation’s oldest and most elite university was headed for a showdown that could affect other U.S. institutions.

Harvard University has drawn a line in the sand against the Trump administration and its sweeping demands for cultural change. Now it is counting on its peer institutions for backup.In Washington, Republicans say the nation’s wealthiest and oldest university has just made a serious error in judgment and is about to learn the cost of crossing Trump.