"Illiterate": US Education Secretary Mocked For Bad Grammar In Letter To Harvard

In what was meant to be a stern warning to Harvard University, US Education Secretary Linda McMahon may have instead triggered a nationwide grammar lesson, directed squarely at herself.

A letter posted by McMahon on X, addressed to Harvard president Dr Alan Garber, informed the Ivy League institution it would no longer be eligible for federal grants, accusing the university of violating federal law, ethical standards, and academic principles.

But it wasn't the content that caught the internet's attention. It was the writing.

Within hours, the internet responded with digital red pens. Multiple posts on X showed the three-page letter edited 'professor-style', with spelling errors, awkward phrasing, and misplaced capitalisations circled in red.

our secretary of "education" https://t.co/ds5cwk0uHl pic.twitter.com/4MR4DEydUZ

— daniel (michelle steel hate account) (@danielluo_pi) May 6, 2025

Critics on the internet described the letter as "a chaotic mess of bad grammar and illiterate rambling."

A user chided her, saying, "Did a high school kid write this?"

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. You poked the bear and you're too stupid to even know it.

— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) May 6, 2025

Another added, "Wild that the Secretary of Education is illiterate."

Wild that the Secretary of Education is illiterate.

— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) May 5, 2025

Someone made a parody of her letter, writing, " 'Dear Harvard, You dumb, me smart. Me no give you money any more. Unless you give me more money. Me very smart."

"Dear Harvard,

You dumb, me smart.

Me no give you money any more.

Unless you give me more money.

Me very smart."

— KILL, THE ICON! (@KILLTHEICON) May 6, 2025

"What's with the random capitalisation? Sid you not proofread this?" a user asked.

What's with the random capitalization? did you not proofread this?

— Nithin (@01xNithin) May 7, 2025

For months, the Trump administration has clashed with Harvard and other elite institutions, accusing them of allowing "anti-Semitic activity" on campus. In response, the government has taken steps that impact their funding, tax-exempt status, and enrollment of international students.

In the letter, Linda McMahon accused Harvard of harbouring foreign students who "engage in violent behaviour" and of having "no semblance of academic rigour." She declared that Harvard "should no longer seek grants from the federal government, since none will be provided".

Harvard, one of the world's top-ranked universities, fired back, calling the move retaliation for its April 21 lawsuit challenging a federal freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants, which is part of a total $9 billion currently under review.

The legal action came after Harvard refused to follow the Trump administration's orders to control student activism and allow government oversight of its admissions, hiring, and political views.

In a statement on the recent action by the Trump administration, Harvard warned that halting federal support would damage "life-saving research and innovation," calling the threat "unprecedented and improper."

"Harvard will continue to comply with the law, promote and encourage respect for viewpoint diversity, and combat antisemitism in our community," they said.