U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is being ridiculed after sending a threatening letter to Harvard University that was full of grammatical errors. In the letter, McMahon warned Harvard President Dr. Alan Garber that the university would lose access to federal funding unless it complied with President Trump’s demands. But instead of focusing on her message, the letter quickly became a subject of mockery for its poor grammar and confusing writing.
McMahon’s letter, sent Monday, accused Harvard of mishandling antisemitism on campus and criticized its leadership and policies. She claimed the university was violating federal laws and ethical standards, calling out Harvard’s alleged misuse of taxpayer money. But it was the letter’s sloppy language that caught the most attention.
“Harvard University has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system,” McMahon charged. She went on to claim that Harvard was admitting foreign students who engaged in violent behavior and showed contempt for the U.S.
In the letter, McMahon also slammed Harvard’s “remedial math” program. “Why is it that Harvard has to teach simple and basic mathematics, when it is supposedly so hard to get into this ‘acclaimed university’?” she asked, questioning the school’s standards for accepting students who allegedly struggled with basic math.
However, it wasn’t the accusations or the message itself that made waves—it was the letter’s many grammar mistakes. Critics quickly pointed out the errors, mocking McMahon for her poor writing. Investigative reporter Roger Sollenberger quipped, “Did you use A1 to write this?” referring to McMahon’s mix-up between artificial intelligence (AI) and the steak sauce, A1.
“Whoever wrote this is barely literate,” said Andrew Feinberg, White House correspondent for The Independent.
Fred Wellman, a veterans’ activist, took to social media to express his frustration, writing, “Did a high school kid write this? You’re the Secretary of ‘Education,’ and this is a chaotic mess of bad grammar and illiterate rambling.”
Harvard public policy professor Maya Sen also chimed in, criticizing McMahon for threatening to cut federal contracts based on political differences with the university.
While McMahon’s letter was meant to send a strong warning to Harvard, it ended up as a national laughingstock, overshadowed by its sloppy grammar and unclear arguments.
