President Donald Trump defended his administration’s move to ban foreign students from Harvard University, claiming “a lot of them” can’t do basic math.
Trump’s comments followed a federal judge stepping in and issuing a temporary restraining order. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs is behind that ruling, an appointee of former President Barack Obama who also targeted Trump’s 2017 “Muslim ban.”
Harvard previously announced a lawsuit against the administration, accusing the administration of trying to “erase” a large portion of their student population. International students make up more than a quarter of the school’s enrollment.
“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 school said in its suit. “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem terminated Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, accusing the school of “fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party.”
At a Friday White House Q&A with reporters, Trump defended his administration’s move by also suggesting many of these foreign students now at risk of losing their legal statuses can’t do basic math after being asked why he wouldn’t want the “best and brightest from around the world to come to
“I do, but a lot of the people need remedial math,” the president said.
According to the Harvard Crimson, the Harvard Math Department introduced last year a new course aimed at “rectifying a lack of foundational algebra skills among students.” Brendan A. Kelly, the director of the pilot program, said at the time that the course was to address gaps in math skill levels that had been fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In his Friday comments, Trump also referenced “troublemakers” screaming about antisemitism, referring to campus protests against Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war.
“Did you see that? Where the students can’t add two and two and they go to Harvard. They want remedial math, and they’re going to teach remedial math at Harvard. Now, wait a minute. So why would they get in?” he said. “How can somebody that can’t and has very basic skills, how do they get into Harvard? Why are they there? And then you see those same people picketing and screaming at the United States and screaming that they’re antisemitic or they’re something. We don’t want troublemakers here, but how do people that can’t — when Harvard comes out with a statement that they gonna teach some of their students remedial math, that’s basic math, that’s not the deal.”
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