Bill Maher surprised many viewers during the latest episode of his HBO show by expressing support for President Donald Trump’s campaign against Harvard University.
The Trump administration has been pushing back hard against Harvard by withholding billions in federal grants and contracts because the university refused to meet a long list of government demands.
Maher said, “Trump has declared full-scale war on Harvard, and like so many things he does, there’s a kernel of a good idea there.
I’ve been criticizing Harvard long before he was.” It’s interesting since Maher himself graduated from Cornell, another Ivy League school that’s a rival to Harvard.
Maher Doesn’t Hold Back on Harvard Criticism Despite His Ivy League Background
When CNN’s Jake Tapper pointed out Maher’s Cornell connection, Maher joked, “That’s not why.
Harvard is an a**hole factory in many ways that produces smirking jerks.”
The conversation took a funny twist when it was revealed that another guest, Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton from Massachusetts, actually has three Harvard degrees.
Tapper quipped, “He’s a jerk times three,” to which everyone laughed.
This moment showed Maher’s gleeful attitude toward Trump’s efforts to take Harvard down a notch, which is notable given Maher’s previous harsh critiques of Trump — even comparing him to an orangutan at one point.
Yet last month, Maher had dinner with Trump at the White House, alongside UFC owner Dana White and musician Kid Rock, who arranged the meeting.
A Different Side of Trump Revealed Over Dinner with Bill Maher
Maher described Trump as “a different guy” than the one he usually saw on TV or social media.
He mentioned that the president had even tweeted some nasty remarks about him the night before their dinner but was quite friendly in person.
Maher said, “The guy I met is not the one who the night before tweeted a bunch of nasty crap about how he thought this dinner was a bad idea and what a deranged a**hole I was.”
Trump’s Battle Against Harvard Includes Threats to Tax Status and Foreign Student Policies
Trump’s fight against Harvard has escalated beyond freezing funds.
The administration has threatened to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status and wants to cut the number of foreign-born students, which make up nearly 30 percent of the student body.
About a fifth of those students come from China, which has raised security concerns.
The government even tried to block all international students from getting visas to study at Harvard, but a federal judge recently blocked that move.
Trump insists Harvard should reduce foreign students from around 30 percent to 15 percent, reflecting the White House’s fear about Harvard’s unclear ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
Concerns Over Harvard’s Links to Chinese Officials Raise Red Flags
One example fueling these worries is that officials from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a Chinese group sanctioned by the U.S. for human rights abuses, have attended Harvard’s public health training programs since 2020.
The sanctions came after accusations of atrocities against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
Harvard Accused of Fostering Antisemitism Amid Campus Protests
Another major Trump criticism is Harvard’s handling of antisemitism on campus.
Jewish students have reportedly felt unsafe due to a large pro-Palestine student protest that lasted three weeks in spring 2024, during which students demanded the university divest from Israel. The administration refused.
Following Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, protests erupted immediately at Harvard, with some turning hostile.
One incident saw pro-Palestine protesters surround a Harvard MBA student, shouting “shame” repeatedly.
Harvard’s President Resigns After Refusing to Condemn Anti-Jewish Calls
Claudine Gay, who was Harvard’s president during much of this unrest, stepped down in January 2025.
She faced heavy criticism for not condemning students who called for genocide against Jews when pressured by Congress.
Her tenure saw billions of dollars in potential donations lost from wealthy Jewish families upset by the campus climate.
Harvard Faces $3.2 Billion in Federal Funding Losses and Legal Battles
On top of losing donations, Harvard has missed out on approximately $3.2 billion in federal grants and contracts since Trump took office.
The university has sued the administration over the funding freeze and denies the allegations of bias against Jewish students.
Harvard’s lawyers argue that efforts to revoke visas for foreign students violate constitutional free speech and due process protections, as well as federal regulations limiting government agency actions.
Harvard Claims Government Retaliation Over Governance and Curriculum Demands
According to Harvard, the government’s actions are retaliation for the school’s refusal to comply with demands to control its leadership, curriculum, and the “ideology” of its faculty and students.
The federal government sent a letter to Harvard’s President Alan Garber in April, accusing the university of failing to meet “intellectual and civil rights conditions” required for federal funding.
The letter demanded that Harvard adopt merit-based admissions, stop admitting students hostile to American values, enforce viewpoint diversity in all departments, and immediately end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
The government also requested regular progress reports to ensure these demands are followed — a move Harvard and its supporters view as heavy-handed interference in academic freedom.