President Donald Trump rubbed salt on the wound of his recent Harvard student ban by claiming a “lot of them” can’t even do basic math.
His petty comment came a day after he moved to bar foreign students from enrollment as part of his ongoing feud with the Ivy League school.
When a reporter asked why the president wouldn’t want the “best and brightest from around the world to come to Harvard,” he snapped back by questioning the student body’s intelligence.
“A lot of the people need remedial math,” he said. “The students can’t add two and two and they go to Harvard… now, wait a minute. So why would they get in?”
Trump’s comments were made in reference to the school’s new introductory math course designed for students with foundational algebra skills. He asked how a group of people with “very basic skills” got admitted.
Trump also called the crew “troublemakers” and referenced the campus’ pro-Palestine protests.
“How do they get into Harvard? Why are they there?” he asked. “And then you see those same people picketing and screaming at the United States and screaming that they’re antisemitic or something. We don’t want troublemakers here.”
Trump’s Friday fit came shortly after Obama-appointee U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs stepped in to block the administration’s bid to ban foreign students. In 2017, she also made history by slapping a hold on Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban.”
Burroughs’ ruling also came as Harvard University announced it would sue the White House.
“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the University and its mission,” the lawsuit read. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
Harvard’s international students made up around 27 percent of last year’s enrollment.
Trump’s war on Harvard centers around the university’s refusal to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and kick out pro-Palestinian protestors. Trump has recently accelerated his attacks by threatening to cut the school’s federal funding and tax-exempt status.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the school was “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party” and then terminated the school’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification.
“Billions of dollars has been paid to Harvard. How ridiculous is that? Billions… Harvard’s going to have to change its ways,” Trump said.
When asked if he’s planning to go after the international student body at other universities, Trump added: “We’re taking a look at a lot of things.”
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