The comments are the latest volley in an escalating battle between the White House and one of the nation's most prestigious colleges.

The Trump administration is going head-to-head with Harvard University to install changes to the academic institution’s governance and admissions process.

President Trump issued a new threat to Harvard University on Tuesday after the federal government froze $2.2 billion in grant funding for the institution, suggesting that the Ivy League school "should lose its tax-exempt status and be taxed as a political entity."