White House Press Secretary Targets Harvard Amid Ongoing Funding Battle
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt launched a pointed critique of Harvard University on Tuesday, as the Trump administration escalates its efforts to slash federal funding to the Ivy League school.
Speaking on Fox News with host Sean Hannity, Leavitt defended the administration’s funding priorities, emphasizing a shift toward vocational and state education programs that promote “American values” and workforce readiness.
“The president believes taxpayer dollars are better spent on trade schools, apprenticeship programs, and public colleges that are equipping students with the skills our economy actually needs,” Leavitt said. “We need more electricians and plumbers in this country — not more LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard.”
Leavitt characterized the administration’s approach as “common sense,” questioning why a university with a $53 billion endowment — which she claims promotes “anti-American values” — should continue receiving taxpayer support.
The administration last month froze billions in federal grants to Harvard and is now weighing whether to terminate all remaining federal contracts with the university, according to a report by The New York Times on Tuesday.
Leavitt: "Electricians, plumbers — we need more of those in our country, and less LGBTQ graduate majors from Harvard University. And that's what this administration's position is." pic.twitter.com/IwSYVrZ1sJ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 28, 2025
Her remarks come amid a legal standoff between the White House and Harvard, after a federal judge recently blocked an administration plan to bar the university from admitting foreign students — a move that drew backlash from Harvard’s international student community.
President Trump has increasingly advocated for a return to vocational trades, urging college graduates to consider careers in essential industries beyond finance and academia. Earlier this month, he encouraged graduates of the University of Alabama to apply their skills toward building “the steel, concrete, and infrastructure of a new American future.”
