Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has made a major push to put America’s elite universities on notice over political ideology. But the groundwork for the White House’s stronger stance was laid more than a year earlier.

Harvard is likely to prevail in court in its battles against the Trump administration, yet both sides have reasons to agree to a compromise, legal observers say.

Political pressure on institutions compromises academic independence – and risks damaging America's ability to attract international talent