Olivia Asher is a reporter at the New Herald Tribune covering breaking news for the Digital Trends Desk. Before joining the newsroom in 2022, she covered criminal justice issues at the Orlando Plain Dealer.
April 17 , 2025
Columbia, SC - President Donald Trump has threatened to revoke Limestone University’s tax-exempt status after the institution refused to remove a transgender athlete from its women’s varsity rugby team, according to sources familiar with the matter. The warning marks the latest escalation in the administration’s efforts to influence campus policies, mirroring recent confrontations with Harvard University over federal funding and institutional autonomy.
The White House reportedly issued demands to Limestone last week, including the removal of the athlete from competition, which university administrators rejected as a violation of Title IX protections and academic self-governance. While the administration has not publicly detailed its rationale, the move aligns with broader Republican efforts to restrict transgender participation in women’s sports, citing concerns over competitive fairness—a stance contested by medical and legal experts.
In a statement reminiscent of his recent remarks about Harvard, Trump emphasized that tax-exempt status must serve the “PUBLIC INTEREST,” though he has not yet commented directly on Limestone via social media. Like Harvard, Limestone risks losing federal grants and contracts—though specific figures remain undisclosed—alongside its nonprofit tax designation.
Limestone’s leadership has vowed to resist what it calls “unlawful overreach,” echoing Harvard President Alan Garber’s assertion that “no government should dictate whom [universities] can admit and hire." Legal experts note that revoking tax-exempt status unilaterally would require congressional action, as the IRS currently bases such decisions on political campaigning or lobbying activities—criteria Limestone has not publicly breached.
The confrontation occurs amid heightened scrutiny of transgender athletes in collegiate sports. While the Trump administration has not previously linked federal funding to gender-policy compliance, the Limestone dispute signals a potential expansion of its higher education agenda. Peer institutions like Columbia and Princeton have faced pressure to adopt protest restrictions and curricular reviews under similar antisemitism-related investigations
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