President Trump on Thursday floated a wider crackdown on tax-exempt entities after his administration asked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status this week.
“Tax-exempt status, I mean, that’s a privilege. It’s really a privilege. And it’s been abused. By a lot more than Harvard, too,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, calling Harvard “a disgrace” and also pointing to Columbia University and Princeton University
“I don’t believe they’ve made a final ruling but it’s — it’s something that these schools really have to be very, very careful with,” Trump said.
The IRS reportedly received an ask from the Treasury Department on Wednesday requesting the Ivy League school’s tax exemption to be rescinded, shortly after Trump suggested the idea on his Truth Social account.
Asked about what other groups might have their tax-exempt status removed, Trump said, “We’ll be making some statements, but it’s a big deal.” Immigrant rights groups or environmental rights groups “could be” on the table, he said in response to a question.
He appeared to single out Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog group that aims to use “aggressive legal actions, in-depth investigations and innovative policy and reform work” to advance ethics in government.
“I have a group named CREW. … It’s supposed to be a charitable organization. The only charity they have is going after Donald Trump. So we’re looking at that. We’re looking at a lot of things,” Trump added.
Tax exemption is reserved for, among other categories, religious, charitable and educational organizations that meet 501(c)(3) qualifications with the IRS.
“Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’” Trump wrote in a Tuesday Truth Social post. “Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!”
The president’s comments on the tax exemption status appear as part of an ongoing feud with Harvard and higher education.
They also come alongside his crackdown on the size of the federal government, which is also impacting the IRS: Nearly 20,000 employees at the IRS are reportedly taking the administration’s buyout offer, and the administration is planning to end the IRS’s free tax filing service.