Linda McMahon’s letter to Harvard University went viral after a version with red-marked grammar corrections surfaced online—though it wasn’t from Harvard.
HINDUSTAN TIMES
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon sent a sharply worded letter earlier this week to Harvard University President Alan Garber, informing him that the Ivy League institution would no longer be receiving billions in federal research grants. In the letter, McMahon criticized the university’s handling of antisemitism on campus and accused it of “promoting race-based preferences in admissions and hiring.”
“Receiving such taxpayer funds is a privilege, not a right,” she wrote in the letter. “Yet instead of using these funds to advance the education of its students, Harvard is engaging in a systemic pattern of violating federal law. Where do many of these ‘students’ come from, who are they, how do they get into Harvard, or even into our country – and why is there so much HATE? These are questions that must be answered, among many more, but the biggest question of all is, why will Harvard not give straightforward answers to the American public?”
McMahon declared: “Given these and other concerning allegations, this letter is to inform you that Harvard should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided.”
Marked-Up Letter Surfaces On Social Media
The day after McMahon posted her letter on X (formerly Twitter), a version of the letter surfaced online showing red-marked corrections for spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
An X account that first shared the edited version claimed, “Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote a letter to Harvard. The university responded by marking up the letter for spelling and punctuation mistakes- and then shared it on social media.”
The edited version quickly went viral.
HARVARD WON THIS ROUND!
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote a letter to Harvard. The university responded by marking up the letter for spelling and punctuation mistakes- and then shared it on social media.
Your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/xL28iTTuxn
— Lovable Liberal and his Old English sheepdog (@DougWahl1) May 6, 2025
Did Harvard Actually Mark It Up?
Despite the viral claim, no official Harvard account shared the marked-up letter. As of now, there is no evidence the corrected version came from the university itself. It appears to be posted by a social media user.
Harvard Responds To McMahon’s Original Letter
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Harvard University confirmed that it had received the letter from the Department of Education on Monday.
“Today, we received another letter from the administration doubling down on demands that would impose unprecedented and improper control over Harvard University and would have chilling implications for higher education,” a Harvard spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. “Today’s letter makes new threats to illegally withhold funding for lifesaving research and innovation in retaliation against Harvard for filing its lawsuit on April 21.
The spokesperson added, “Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community. Harvard will also continue to defend against illegal government overreach aimed at stifling research and innovation that make Americans safer and more secure.”
THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN HINDUSTAN TIMES