Bill Ackman Defends Trump’s Assault on Harvard — Tells CNBC They Should Have Told Him ‘You Make Some Good Points’

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman put the hurt on Harvard Monday as he called for the end of its nonprofit status and cautioned the Ivy League university against not listening to President Donald Trump.

Ackman, a Harvard grad, also told CNBC’s Joe Kernen that Harvard needs a “change in leadership.”

When Kernan asked what Harvard should have done, Ackman responded: “The wrong thing to do is receive a letter from the administration and write back saying, ‘We’re doing nothing and in fact, we’re gonna sue you.’ OK? That’s what Harvard did. What Harvard should have done, should’ve said, ‘President Trump, you make some good points.’ Right? Taxpayer money coming into Harvard. That’s a privilege, it’s not a right.”

That part of the interview appeared to win the approval of the commander in chief, who gave it a social media boost later Monday.

Trump shared the CNBC interview on his Truth Social account with the words, “BILL ACKMAN ON HARVARD AND UNIVERSITY FUNDING, THIS MORNING ON SQUAWK BOX…”

Ackman went on to demand the ouster of Harvard’s top brass, calling out university president Alan Garber and Harvard Corporation senior fellow Penny Pritzker by name.

“It’s time for a change in leadership at the board of Harvard,” he said.

The school has been locked in a battle with the White House over the last month, after Trump froze its federal funding and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status.

In response, Harvard sued the Trump administration, with Garber blasting “the government’s overreach.”

Ackman, who donated to Democrats for most of his life, backed Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Despite calling for Trump to concede the presidential race in 2020, he endorsed Trump again in 2024 following the assassination attempt in Butler, PA.

In an October X post, Ackman listed 33 points to explain what drove him to swing right politically.

Watch above via CNBC.