President Donald Trump came out swinging after a tense day in court over his administration’s decision to freeze $2.2 billion in federal grants to Harvard University. The funds were halted as part of Trump’s push to enforce merit-based hiring and prevent elite institutions from harboring anti-American ideologies. But U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs—a Barack Obama appointee—may have other ideas.

“She is a TOTAL DISASTER,” Trump blasted on X, accusing Burroughs of “systematically” taking over Harvard-related cases and stacking the deck against the administration. “When she rules against us, we will IMMEDIATELY appeal, and WIN,” he vowed.

The stakes are massive. At the heart of the dispute is Trump’s demand that Harvard root out anti-Semitism, embrace meritocracy, and crack down on admitting foreign students who despise American values. The administration’s freeze is meant to force change—or cut off taxpayer support.

But Burroughs, according to CNN and NBC, appeared sympathetic to Harvard during oral arguments. She challenged the Department of Justice’s reasoning for the cuts, claiming the freeze could actually harm Jews by defunding scientific research.

“You’re not taking away grants from labs that could have been antisemitic,” Burroughs said skeptically, “but just cut off funding in a way one could argue hurts Americans and Jews.”

That line of questioning angered Trump, who views the administration’s stance as a defense of Jewish students and American taxpayers. “Harvard has $52 Billion Dollars sitting in the Bank,” Trump wrote, “and yet they are anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and anti-America.”

The former president didn’t stop there. He blasted Harvard’s influence in siphoning public funds away from other deserving schools and promised that his administration would shut off the spigot for good if reforms aren’t met.

“We are not going to allow this unfair situation to happen any longer,” Trump declared.

Judge Burroughs is no stranger to high-profile Harvard litigation. She previously ruled in favor of the university in the Students for Fair Admissions lawsuit, which targeted Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policies. Critics argue she’s been too willing to shield the Ivy League institution from accountability, especially when progressive values are at stake.

The administration’s argument, presented by DOJ attorney Michael Velchik, is that antisemitism has “besieged” Harvard. “It’s sick,” Velchik said. “Federal taxpayer dollars should not support this.”

Trump’s freeze is part of a broader battle over elite institutions and their ideological drift. The administration has also demanded new safeguards on foreign student screening—especially to prevent radicals or terror sympathizers from entering U.S. campuses.

Burroughs is expected to issue a ruling in the coming weeks. But Trump is already signaling that no matter what she decides, the administration is ready for a legal war. “It is a longtime commitment to Fairness in Funding Education,” Trump wrote, “and the Trump Administration will not stop until there is VICTORY.”

This showdown is bigger than one university—it’s about who controls the purse strings, who sets the standards, and whether elite colleges can keep taking billions in taxpayer funds while thumbing their noses at the American public.