A federal judge handedHarvard University a winon Sept. 3 in a legal battle against PresidentDonald Trump's administration. Harvardis one of several universities that has been targeted by the Trump administration, which alleges schools aren't doing enough to protect Jewish students. Harvard has defied the administration's orders and taken the issue to court.U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughsruled with the school in its quest to regain access to $3 billion in federal research funding. The judge stated the defendants under the administration "used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities." The White House condemned the ruling and vowed to appeal, USA TODAY previously reported. When the back and forth with Harvard started earlier this year, it kicked up somesocial media tauntingthat suggested without evidence that the president may have a personal vendetta against the school. If he does, it does not appear to be from the president's college-aged son,Barron Trump. More:Judge says Trump administration 'used antisemitism as a smokescreen' against Harvard No. According to the first lady's office, he didn't even apply. "Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false," Nick Clemens, spokesperson for the Office of the First Lady, said in an emailed statement on May 27. Harvard University did not respond to multiple requests for comment. In the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the president's youngest son attended a Florida rally, and then-candidateDonald TrumpconfirmedBarron Trump's plan to go to college. "He's now going to college, got into every college he wanted to,"Donald Trumpsaid at the July 9, 2024, rally in Doral, Florida. "He made his choice and he is a very good guy." Barron Trump recently began his sophomore year atNYU's Stern School of Business. He's projected to graduate in the class of 2028. Barron Trump broke tradition when he chose NYU, the first of Trump's five children to go there. Here is where the other Trump kids graduated from: Donald Trump Jr.: University of Pennsylvania in 2000 Ivanka Trump: University of Pennsylvania in 2004 Eric Trump: Georgetown University in 2006 Tiffany Trump: University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and Georgetown Law School in 2020 Trump has threatened to withhold funding from several universities in the U.S. if they do not follow federal directives, all under the banner offighting antisemitism. He has alleged the institutions did not do enough to combat antisemitism during the protests against the war in Gaza, which brought allegations ofboth antisemitismandIslamaphobia. Harvard rejected the administration's orders, which included ending all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, hiring an external auditor to ensure the university hosts diverse ideological viewpoints, and update admissions processes to bar students "hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence." Defying the orders has put billions of dollars worth of federal funding and Harvard'stax-exempt statusat risk. President Donald Trumpgraduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in May 1968 with a degree in economics. But he didn't spend allfour years at Wharton. Trump started off his college days at Fordham University in the Bronx in 1964 but transferred to Wharton two years later. Contributing:Zachary Schermele,Jennifer Sangalang, Antonio Fins, Savannah Kuchar, Jeremy Yurow,USA TODAY Network Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Did Barron Trump get rejected from Harvard? Judge rules with school
