What started last year as an effort from the administration to investigate antisemitism on the Cambridge, Mass. , campus quickly morphed into a broad attack on the university, including 13 investigations from 10 federal agencies. Trump said Harvard should have a cap on the number of international students enrolled. That position undercut the administration’s argument that merit alone should guide admissions practices. Trump posted on social media that Chinese students could continue studying at Harvard as part of his trade talks with Beijing, adding that allowing students from China “has always been good with me!” In October, Mr. Trump publicly waffled about Harvard in the span of seconds. Aboard Air Force One, he told reporters that the deal would include $500 million for trade education. Moments later, he mused that “we may just charge them a fine, big fine, $500 million fine. Trump said a “‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC deal” with Harvard could be done in about a week. In September, he said that Linda McMahon, his education secretary, was “finishing up the final details. ” Aboard Air Force One in October, he said that the two sides had agreed to the “concept of a deal. ” Last month, at a news conference marking the one-year anniversary of his second inauguration, he said, “I hear we have a deal, but who the hell knows with them?” Harvard’s leaders have viewed the administration’s attacks as politically motivated and have been frustrated by the White House’s inconsistent approach to talks, its evolving demands and the rotating mix of people driving discussions

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