As the Trump administration continues a full-scale crackdown on Harvard University, one viral theory making the rounds online has been firmly shut down by the First Lady herself.
Currently, President Donald Trump is embroiled in a heated back-and-forth with the Ivy League school. But rather than believe the POTUS' actions are politically motivated, some critics question whether Trump's vitriol is personal.
Online Conspiracy, Federal Cuts, and a Lawsuit
Speculation has swirled online that the administration's aggressive stance against Harvard was personally motivated - with conspiracy theorists believing that Trump's youngest son, Barron, may have been rejected from the university.
“It’s as simple as this. Barron was rejected by Harvard. Malia [Obama] got in! MAGA hates that,” one user wrote on X.
But according to official statements, there’s no truth to it. Barron Trump, 19, was accepted to multiple schools but ultimately chose New York University’s Stern School of Business, where tuition runs around $62,700 per year. He is currently finishing his freshman year and is expected to graduate in 2028.
The theory gained traction after President Trump ordered massive funding freezes and initiated efforts to cut ties with the university—moves that have since escalated into legal battles.
As of late May, the Trump administration has frozen approximately $3.2 billion in grants and contracts and announced plans to cut an additional $100 million in remaining federal funds.
The administration’s demands focused on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies, international student admissions, and campus environments described by officials as hostile toward Jewish students.
In a letter sent to Harvard, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote that the university had lost its “privilege” of enrolling international students due to its “refusal to comply with multiple requests to provide...pertinent information,” as well as promoting “pro-Hamas sympathies” and employing “racist 'diversity, equity and inclusion' policies.”
Mom Melania Speaks Out
However, the theory that these cuts have been made as a result of a personal vendetta against the school have been denied by Barron's mom, FLOTUS Melania Trump.
According to Melania Trump’s office, the speculation is entirely false.
“Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false,” Melania Trump’s spokesperson Nicholas Clemens stated to PEOPLE and The Palm Beach Post.
Trump Accuses Harvard of Antisemitism and Slow Compliance
In a post on Truth Social, Trump has lashed out at the university, calling their enrollment guidelines “very antisemitic” and suggesting the funding should instead go to trade schools across the country.
“What a great investment that would be for the USA, and so badly needed!!!” Trump wrote.
He also accused Harvard of stalling on releasing data about international students.
“We are still waiting for the Foreign Student Lists from Harvard... how many radicalized lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country,” he wrote. “Harvard is very slow... and probably for good reason!”
“The best thing Harvard has going for it is that they have shopped around and found the absolute best Judge (for them!) — But have no fear, the Government will, in the end, WIN!”
Harvard Fights Back in Court
On Friday, May 23, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from revoking Harvard's ability to host international students under the F-1 and J-1 visa programs, Fox News reports.
Harvard had filed a lawsuit earlier that week, claiming the administration’s actions were a “blatant violation of the First Amendment.”
Harvard responded to the ongoing standoff, stating: “The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”