US President Donald Trump’s ongoing feud with Harvard University has sparked speculation about its origins, with a popular theory suggesting that Trump’s animosity stems from his son Barron not being accepted. However, presidential biographer Michael Wolff offers a different perspective, Wolff claims it was Trump himself who was rejected by Harvard, fueling a longstanding grudge against the Ivy League.
Wolff, author of bestsellers such as 'Fire and Fury and All or Nothing', shared his views during a recent episode of The Daily Beast podcast. When host Joanna Coles pointed out that many people in Trump’s circle, including some who attended Harvard Business School and Yale, seemed at odds with the president’s hostility toward elite universities, Wolff responded: “It’s important not to lend too much calculation and planning to anything he does. 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.”
Despite Wolff’s claim, there are no publicly available records or biographies confirming whether Trump applied to or was rejected by Harvard. His known education history includes attending Fordham University for two years before transferring to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1968.
A White House spokesperson dismissed Wolff’s assertions as “fake news,” stating that Trump “didn’t need to apply to an overrated, corrupt institution like Harvard to become a successful businessman and the most transformative President in history.”
Beyond personal grievances, Wolff believes Trump’s attacks on Harvard are also driven by his “TV star instincts as a producer” who thrives on drama and conflict. “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,” Wolff said.
In recent months, Trump has escalated his actions against Harvard, including stripping the university of federal funding and demanding detailed information about its international students, citing concerns over security and “radicalized” individuals. These moves have triggered legal battles and drawn scrutiny over the motivations behind them.
Wolff added that this high-stakes conflict is part of Trump’s broader strategy to dominate headlines. “He goes after Harvard in a way that is draconian, dramatic, and existential. It’s threatening Harvard on that level,” Wolff said. “Even when institutions and courts resist, that just becomes another act in the Trump show, forcing them to play their part and oppose him.”
As the feud continues, observers are left weighing whether Trump’s war on Harvard is a personal vendetta, a calculated political maneuver, or simply another episode in the spectacle that has become his public life.
