Harvard University's links to China, long an asset to the school, have become a liability as the Trump administration levels accusations that its campus is plagued by Beijing-backed influence operations.

Frayed by tariff wars and political battles, the academic tie between the U.S. and China is now facing its greatest threat yet as the Trump administration promises to revoke visas for an unknown number of Chinese students and tighten future visa screening.

Friction between Beijing and Washington is growing as the Trump administration cracks down on visas for Chinese students and access to advanced computer chips.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday evening that the Department of Homeland Security would start to revoke Chinese students’ visas — a directive that could put more than a thousand Harvard students at risk.

An federal judge said Thursday that she plans to block the Trump administration from revoking Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students.

Some social media speculation is that the president is cutting billions of dollars in funding to the Ivy League institution because it rejected his son as a student.

If the Trump administration succeeds in barring international students from enrolling at Harvard, it will benefit U.S. competitors such as China, experts say.

Traditionally giving speakers and students opportunities for unscripted moments, graduation events this week unfold as the university tries to thread a needle with the White House between resistance and accommodation.