Author Michael Wolff recently suggested that Donald Trump’s ongoing anger toward Harvard University might come from a personal grudge—specifically, that Trump didn’t get accepted there, and that stung his pride. Wolff shared this theory on *The Daily Beast* podcast, saying that Trump needs enemies to keep his public image going strong, and Harvard fits the role perfectly for him. According to Wolff, attacking Harvard brings Trump plenty of media attention, which is exactly what he wants. In his words, Trump “picked a great enemy,” and his criticism of the Ivy League school keeps him in the headlines.
This claim clearly irritated Trump. He fired back online, calling Wolff a “third-rate reporter” and saying the story was totally made up. Trump insisted he never even applied to Harvard and reminded everyone that he graduated from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. He also took a jab at Wolff’s credibility, claiming his book about Trump flopped because no one took him seriously.
Trump’s irritation with Harvard isn’t new. Back in April, his administration accused the university of pushing diversity programs that it linked to antisemitism. As a result, Trump’s team threatened to cut off \$9 billion in federal funding. When Harvard didn’t back down, Trump retaliated further by freezing its funds, trying to strip the school of its tax-exempt status, and even attempting to stop it from accepting foreign students.
Wolff also revealed another rumor he helped spread: that Trump was angry at Harvard because his son, Barron, applied and didn’t get in. Wolff admitted he didn’t know if the story was true, but said it became a running joke among White House staff, who were confused about Trump’s extreme behavior toward the school. First lady Melania Trump has denied the rumor, but it still circulated behind the scenes.
So, whether or not the personal rejection story is real, the idea is that Trump’s war with Harvard might come from a mix of bruised ego, media strategy, and his habit of picking high-profile fights to stay relevant.
