The Trump administration is locked in an ongoing battle with Harvard University, accusing the institution of tolerating violence and antisemitism.

That tension gave rise to a bizarre conspiracy theory which First Lady Melania Trump recently put an end to.   

Spokesman shuts down claim that Barron was turned away from Harvard

According to Fox News, some have suggested that President Donald Trump is retaliating against Harvard for not accepting his youngest son, Barron Trump.

That claim was met with strong push back on Monday from Nicholas Clemens, who serves as a spokesperson for the first lady.

"Barron did not apply to Harvard, and any assertion that he, or that anyone on his behalf, applied is completely false," Clemens told Fox News in a statement.

Barron made headlines this past autumn when he enrolled at New York University (NYU) and began attending the Stern School of Business.

Trump administration bans Harvard from accepting foreign students

Meanwhile, the Trump administration's feud with Harvard heated up last week when Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that the college will no longer be permitted to enroll foreign students.

"I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked," The New York Times quoted Noem as writing in a letter to Harvard's administration.

This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus.

It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to… pic.twitter.com/D0lVQJBlCe

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) May 22, 2025

The move came several weeks after the Wall Street Journal revealed that the Trump administration asked Harvard for a slew of information about foreign students who have been expelled since 2016.

White House seeks to cancel contracts with Harvard

Fox News reported that a federal judge issued an order which temporarily blocked the foreign student ban after Harvard challenged it.

The Ivy League university argued in its court filing that the policy amounts to a "blatant violation of the First Amendment, the Due Process Clause, and the Administrative Procedure Act."

Meanwhile, Fox News also reported on Tuesday that federal agencies have been instructed to cancel contracts between themselves and Harvard.

That directive was conveyed in a letter from Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, who said the school "continues to engage in race discrimination, including in its admissions process and in other areas of student life."