Harvard University could be stripped of its tax-exempt status in a move the college president says would be illegal.

President Donald Trump posted to his Truth Social feed early yesterday: “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!”

He did not elaborate. The post comes just days after Harvard was already under scrutiny by the IRS, and two reports were released on antisemitism on campus and Muslim students fearing reprisal for speaking out about the war in Gaza.

Harvard President Alan Garber told the Wall Street Journal yesterday afternoon, “The message that it sends to the educational community would be a very dire one, which suggests that political disagreements could be used as a basis to pose what might be an existential threat to so many educational institutions.”

Garber said this week “Harvard cannot — and will not — abide bigotry” after the two reports hit on strife on campus following the merciless Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

The university has sued the Trump administration, stating in part: “Harvard filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration, arguing its freeze on research funding is unconstitutional and ‘flatly unlawful’ and calling on the court to restore more than $2.2 billion in research dollars.”

Garber said Monday the suit was prompted by steps the government took over the last week, after the University rejected administration demands for changes to Harvard’s governance, hiring, and admissions policies.”

As the Herald reported last Sunday, Harvard is among the tax-exempt colleges and hospitals that left $30 million in cash on the table for Boston’s PILOT program. The Payment in Lieu of Taxes non-binding deal, first negotiated under the Menino administration, allows tax-exempt schools and hospitals to make “community benefits” contributions or cash payments on taxes.

Harvard owns property in both Boston and Cambridge, its main campus.

Harvard University, per city data, was at 79% PILOT compliance last year. While the Ivy League institution contributed roughly $4 million in cash and $7 million in community benefits credits, it was about $3 million short of its requested payment.

“Harvard engages with the City of Boston in a variety of important ways, including participating in the city’s PILOT voluntary program and delivering community programs to Boston residents, paying municipal taxes on the University’s non-exempt property, as well as leading meaningful initiatives and outreach,” Harvard spokesperson Melissa Monahan said in a statement.

Gerber told the Journal yesterday that ripping away the tax-exempt status would be “highly illegal unless there is some reasoning that we have not been exposed to that would justify this dramatic move.”

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey teamed up with fellow Bay State Sen. Elizabeth Warren yesterday to protest Trump’s threat, asking in a letter to acting Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration Heather Hill to open an investigation into the president’s “alarming reports” against Harvard.