New York | Harvard, the world’s wealthiest university, sued the Trump administration on Monday (Tuesday AEST), fighting back against its threats to slash billions of dollars from the school’s research funding as part of a crusade against the nation’s top colleges.

The lawsuit signalled a major escalation of the ongoing fight between higher education and President Donald Trump, who has vowed to “reclaim” elite universities. The administration has cast its campaign as a fight against antisemitism, but has also targeted programs and teaching related to racial diversity and gender ideology.