College and university leaders have been privately negotiating with a deputy to top Trump aide Stephen Miller in hopes of avoiding the same aggressive targeting of Harvard University, a person familiar with the matter said,

The push comes as the White House regroups after a federal judge blocked its move to bar Harvard from enrolling international students.

President Trump is trying to apply enough pressure to force the university to cave, while Harvard, a nearly 400-year-old institution, is aiming to play a long game against an aging president in his final term.

"If you're going to try to make the case that we need less formal education in this country, make sure you don’t say 'apprentinships' when you mean to say 'apprenticeships.'"

America's oldest and wealthiest school, Harvard University, held its commencement Thursday. The ceremony, attended by thousands of people, came as the university takes the lead on defying the White House in federal court to defend higher education.

The Trump administration’s fight with Harvard isn’t letting up. The White House has moved to strip more than $2 billion in federal grants, block international student enrollment and suspend student visa appointments.

Trump’s comments come after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration's effort to bar the university from enrolling international students.

Harvard University held its commencement ceremony today as a federal district judge said she will issue a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from making changes to Harvard’s student visa program indefinitely.

In its fight with Harvard, the Trump administration has focused on international students, who are critical to universities’ bottom lines and campus life.

Trump’s biographer, Michael Wolff, has claimed that the US president’s anger towards Ivy League colleges, especially Harvard, comes from the fact that he failed to make it to the prestigious college.