Trump’s biographer drops bombshell claims on why the US Prez might be holding a 'grudge' against Harvard

US President Donald Trump has escalated his public feud with Harvard University, drawing attention from social media users and political commentators alike. While some online speculators allege that the rift stems from his son Barron Trump not being accepted into the Ivy League school, others, including Trump's own biographer, offer a different explanation.

Michael Wolff’s claims

In a recent appearance on The Daily Beast podcast hosted by Joanna Coles, journalist and Trump biographer Michael Wolff suggested that President Trump’s animosity towards Harvard may be rooted in personal history. Wolff, known for books like ‘Fire and Fury,’ ‘Siege: Trump Under Fire,’ and his latest ‘All or Nothing,’ stated that it wasn’t Barron but Donald Trump himself who failed to gain admission to Harvard.

Coles noted the contradiction in Trump’s vendetta considering many of his associates graduated from Ivy League schools. “It’s also odd because so many of the people around Donald Trump went to Ivy League universities. Several of them went to Harvard Business School,” she said. “Obviously, JD Vance proudly went to Yale. So it does seem particularly odd, but perhaps he’s also trying to stuff it to them.”

Wolff responded by cautioning against attributing too much strategy to Trump’s actions. “It’s important not to lend too much calculation and planning to anything he does,” he said. He then added, “But the other thing is that, by the way, he didn’t get into Harvard. So one of the Trump things is always holding a grudge against the Ivy Leagues.”

Wolff also tied Trump’s approach to what he described as the president’s performative tendencies. “That’s what makes the show great, the Trump show. He picks fantastic enemies. And Harvard, for all it represents, fits right into the Trump show. The president loves the drama. He's done what he set out to do — dominate the headline. What do you do? You go after Harvard in a way that is draconian, dramatic, and existential. It's threatening Harvard on that level,” Wolff stated.

He concluded by emphasising that Trump manufactures conflict to keep the public spectacle alive. “He forces them to play their part, which is to oppose him.”

While some internet users have claimed that Trump’s resentment toward Harvard stems from Barron Trump not being admitted, First Lady Melania Trump has addressed the speculation. She clarified that her son never even applied to the university.

Barron currently attends New York University. “Barron never applied to Harvard and was not the reason for the president’s apparent vendetta against the university,” Melania reportedly said, dismissing online theories.

The Daily Beast also noted that this rumour had become a running joke inside the White House. Yet Wolff doubled down on his claim that the issue stems not from Barron but from Trump’s own past with the university.

White House denies Wolff’s allegation

The White House quickly dismissed Wolff’s theory, condemning both him and The Daily Beast for promoting what they called false narratives. Taylor Rogers, a spokesperson for the administration, released a scathing statement targeting the biographer and the media outlet.

“The Daily Beast and Michael Wolff have lots in common — they both peddle fake news for clickbait in a hopeless attempt to amount to something more than lying losers,” Rogers said. “The President didn’t need to apply to an overrated, corrupt institution like Harvard to become a successful businessman and the most transformative President in history.”

The White House has previously labelled Wolff as a “lying sack of s***,” further signalling its contempt for the author’s claims.

While Wolff’s claim lacks official documentation — no confirmed record exists that Trump ever applied to Harvard — the president’s educational path is well known. He attended Fordham University beginning in 1964 after graduating from the New York Military Academy. After two years at Fordham, he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics.

Further scrutiny of Trump’s academic history emerged in 2020, when The Washington Post published audio tapes recorded by his niece, Mary Trump. In those recordings, Maryanne Trump Barry — Trump’s sister and a federal judge — claimed that she did his homework and that someone else took his college entrance exams. “I drove him around New York City to try to get him into college,” she said in one clip. “He went to Fordham for one year and then he got into the University of Pennsylvania because he had somebody take the exams.” Trump was actually enrolled at Fordham for two years. The White House rejected those claims at the time, calling them “false.” Responding to the controversy, Trump said simply: “Who cares?”

The Harvard issue

Trump’s resentment toward Harvard has translated into tangible political action. Since returning to office for a second term, the president has taken an aggressive approach toward Ivy League institutions, particularly Harvard. Citing a need to combat antisemitism on college campuses, the Trump administration has pursued a multi-pronged campaign against the university.

The conflict escalated last month when the White House imposed a freeze on $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard, attaching several conditions for the school to regain access to the funds. Harvard declined to meet the administration's demands, prompting further retaliation.

Just last week, the administration delivered a formal letter to Harvard, blocking its capacity to enrol international students. The letter also noted that this restriction could be lifted — provided the university agreed to Trump's terms within 72 hours. Harvard refused once again.

Following the letter, Harvard denounced the administration’s move, calling it “unlawful.” Soon afterward, reports emerged that US consular missions abroad had been instructed to increase scrutiny of visa applicants intending to study at the university.

In a recent address, Trump reiterated that his actions against Harvard stem from concerns about antisemitism and national security. On May 25, he demanded a list of “names and countries” of all international students enrolled at the university. “How many radicalised lunatics, troublemakers all, should not be let back into our Country?” he asked during a press event.

While Trump publicly maintains that his crackdown is based on ideological grounds, Michael Wolff insists that the conflict serves another purpose. “He needs an enemy. That’s what makes the ‘show’ great, the Trump show. He picks fantastic enemies, actually. And Harvard, for all it represents, fits right into the Trump show.”

As the standoff continues, Wolff argues that Harvard has been pulled into a political theatre where the President thrives on the tension and backlash. “Harvard will oppose this and therefore the courts will stop this from happening. But at the same time, that becomes another aspect to the Trump show,” he added.