Trump official threatens Harvard foreign student admissions as more universities rally in support

Kristi Noem demands university's records on foreign students' illegal' activities while president threatens to strip it of tax-exempt status

Donald Trump has declared that Harvard University should no longer receive federal funds, calling it a joke" that teaches hate and stupidity", while his administration said the pre-eminent US university could lose its ability to enrol foreign students.

Harvard made headlines on Monday by becoming the first university to stand up against a series of onerous demands from the Trump administration, setting the stage for a showdown between the federal government and one of the US's most prestigious institutions.