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United States President Donald Trump claimed on social media Friday that Harvard is in active settlement talks with the White House, suggesting a possible resolution could be announced “over the next week or so.”

In a post on Truth Social, his social media platform, Trump presented no evidence of ongoing talks and scant detail about their purported contents. But he praised the University’s conduct, saying Harvard had “acted extremely appropriately during these negotiations, and appear to be committed to doing what is right.”

It was not clear whether Trump was referring to formal settlement talks in one of the University’s two ongoing lawsuits against the federal government, or informal discussions around the Trump administration’s demands on Harvard.

Spokespeople for Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks and whether Harvard is seeking a settlement in either or both of its lawsuits. Trump did not specify what concessions Harvard had allegedly considered, nor what concessions the federal government might be willing to agree to.

“If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be ‘mindbogglingly’ HISTORIC, and very good for our Country,” Trump wrote.

His statements came the same day as a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Homeland Security’s May 22 attempt to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, which allows Harvard to enroll international students.

Trump accused Harvard of “largescale improprieties” in the post, but it otherwise marked a departure from the combative tone he and his administration have taken toward Harvard over the past several months.

Since March, federal agencies under Trump’s direction have launched overlapping investigations into the University’s funding streams, academic partnerships, and internal disciplinary processes. The investigations have sought to apply pressure to Harvard to overhaul its governance structure, cut its ties to foreign governments, and crack down on pro-Palestine student protests.

At various points, federal agencies have asked Harvard to dismantle its diversity programs, submit video footage of international students attending protests, screen international students for their political beliefs, submit audits of its academic offerings to the government, derecognize pro-Palestine student groups, and hire new faculty to comply with “viewpoint diversity” demands.

Trump and federal officials have accused Harvard of fostering antisemitism and discriminating against white, Asian, and male students and job applicants. They have called frequent attention to Harvard’s $53 billion endowment, suggesting it should not draw on federal funds for research. His administration’s demands are accountability measures, Trump has said.

Tensions escalated in early April when the White House delivered a list of extensive demands to Harvard. When Harvard refused to comply, the administration froze more than $2.2 billion in federal research funding.

In May, the Trump administration tried to strip Harvard of its SEVP status, threatening the more than 7,000 international students who currently study on its campus.

Harvard responded by filing two federal lawsuits. The first, in April, challenges the research funding freeze as unconstitutional retaliation. The second, filed in May, argues that the administration’s attacks on international students were politically motivated and violated both immigration law and Harvard’s First Amendment rights.

Now, Trump’s comments suggest that settlement negotiations are taking place outside the courtroom. He made no reference to the lawsuits in his post. It remains unclear whether any deal would impact the legal challenges — or who, exactly, is a party to the talks.

The post comes as Harvard has made a number of internal changes that some affiliates have interpreted as gestures aimed at de-escalating conflict with critics in Washington. In March, the University removed the faculty directors of its Center for Middle Eastern Studies, a department that Republican critics have alleged has contributed to antisemitism on campus.

Harvard also renamed its Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in late April, saying that it was launching an effort to “reexamine and reshape the mission and programs of offices across the university”

Trump, for his part, has also increasingly suggested Harvard is eager to reach a resolution. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday as workers raised two towering flag poles over the White House, he suggested the University felt mounting pressure to come to the table, comparing the situation to Iran’s back-and-forth airstrikes with Israel.

“Harvard wants to make a deal more than Iran wants to make a deal,” he quipped.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Dhruv T. Patel can be reached at dhruv.patel@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @dhruvtkpatel.