Private correspondence between Harvard University and the Trump administration escalated a high-profile showdown over federal oversight of campus speech and policy. The exchange, described in newly reported letters, frames a legal and political confrontation between one of the nation’s leading research universities and an administration that has pledged to rein in perceived campus partisanship. Harvard’s leadership and the Education Department’s political appointees are named actors in the dispute; the letters formalize complaints and rebuttals that have been building this year. The development tightens scrutiny on how the administration uses regulatory and investigative tools to pressure institutions of higher education. For campus leaders and trustees, the correspondence signals an intensifying federal posture that could affect compliance, federal funding reviews, and public-university relations in 2026. Legal teams at major universities should expect continued engagement and possible litigation as both sides press their positions.