US Education Secretary mocked, called ‘illiterate’ over her letter to Harvard

A letter from US Education Secretary Linda McMahon to Harvard, which was supposed to be a warning to the Ivy League institution, backfired and has now led to a nationwide grammar lesson entirely directed at the education secretary.

The letter posted on X, addressed to Harvard president Dr Alan Garber, informed the university that their eligibility for grants has been revoked, accusing them of violating academic principles, ethical standards and even federal laws. 

The internet focused on the way the letter was written rather than the actual content of it, with netizens quickly pointing out several grammatical errors and awkward phrasing in the letter. One user went as far as to post a detailed explanation of all the grammatical flaws in the letter using a digital red pen and marking all the grammatical fallacies and spelling errors like a professor grading a student’s essay. 

More users replied to the education secretary’s tweet, berating her for her poor grammar. One user went as far as to call the letter a “Chaotic mess of bad grammar and illiterate rambling” while others called the education secretary illiterate. It was also questioned whether she passed the 8th grade by one user. One user jokingly summarised her letter in a post saying "Dear Harvard, You dumb, me smart. Me no give you money any more. Unless you give me more money. Me very smart."

The letter comes as yet another escalation in the Trump administration’s ongoing clash with Harvard and other elite academic institutions, accusing them of anti-semitism. So far, the US government has taken steps that impact their funding, tax-exempt status, and enrollment of international students.

The letter alleges that Harvard harbours foreign students who "engage in violent behaviour" and having "no semblance of academic rigour." She also added that Harvard "should no longer seek grants from the federal government, since none will be provided".

Harvard has called the move a retaliation for a lawsuit it had filed on April 21. challenging a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants. In a recent statement, Harvard warned that halting federal support would damage "life-saving research and innovation.”