President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration is close to reaching a $500 million settlement with Harvard University. Under the proposed deal, Harvard would operate trade schools focusing on subjects like artificial intelligence, engineering, and other technical skills. Trump described the plan as a “big investment in trade school done by very smart people,” and said that Harvard’s previous issues would be “forgiven” under the agreement.

The settlement comes amid Trump’s ongoing actions against Harvard, which he has accused of anti-Semitism and promoting biased “woke” ideology. Harvard has denied these claims, saying the government is actually trying to control the university’s hiring practices, admissions, and curriculum. Harvard did not immediately respond to Trump’s latest comments.

Officials in Trump’s administration have also criticized other universities for failing to adequately protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests. Earlier in September, a Boston judge ordered the administration to lift a freeze on around $2.6 billion in federal funds for Harvard, noting that the Department of Education had used allegations of anti-Semitism as a “smokescreen” for what the court called an ideologically motivated attack on the university.

Despite this, the administration later imposed new restrictions on Harvard’s access to government money. The university is now required to use its own funds to provide student financial aid that had previously been promised by the federal government.

Harvard is not the only university affected by the administration’s policies. In July, Columbia University agreed to a $200 million settlement and pledged to follow rules banning the consideration of race in admissions or hiring decisions. Similarly, the University of Pennsylvania announced changes, including banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports teams, in response to the administration’s concerns.

The proposed Harvard settlement and trade school plan represent the latest development in Trump’s broader effort to influence higher education in the United States. The deal, if finalized, would mark a significant step in his administration’s efforts to reshape how elite universities operate and expand their educational programs beyond traditional academic courses.