Trump Demands Harvard Cap Foreign Student Admissions at 15%

Watan-On Wednesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Harvard University, demanding that the Ivy League school limit its intake of foreign students to no more than 15% of the student body. He also called on Harvard to submit a current list of all international students to the federal government.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump stated:“Harvard needs to behave better. It treats our country with great disrespect, and all they do is show more defiance.”

This statement comes amid widening tensions over the Gaza war, where elite universities like Harvard have come under fire for their perceived lack of clarity—or neutrality—on Israel’s military actions and human rights violations in Gaza. Student protests and faculty divisions have plagued campuses across the U.S., particularly at institutions with significant international representation.

.@POTUS on Harvard’s international students: “I want to make sure that the foreign students are people that can LOVE OUR COUNTRY! We don’t want to see shopping centers exploding. We don’t want to see the kind of riots that you had.” pic.twitter.com/IZ97TcY59j

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 28, 2025

Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. It has historically drawn a large number of students from around the world. In recent months, it has also been at the center of public and political pressure over its handling of student activism and statements on the Israeli war in Gaza.

Trump’s remarks reflect a broader nationalist and anti-globalist stance that has defined much of his rhetoric, especially as he ramps up campaigning ahead of the 2024 elections. By linking elite academia to foreign influence during a period of international war and campus unrest, Trump is tapping into both educational and geopolitical fault lines.