The sum sought by the government is more than twice as much as the $200 million fine that Columbia University said it would pay when it settled its clash with the White House last week.

Another insight you will glean in a Harvard negotiation class is to grasp your opponent’s interests. In Mr Trump’s practice, this means bagging a deal and bragging about it. He wrote a whole book on the topic. It could go on a syllabus. ■

"Well it's a lot of money," Trump told reporters when asked at the White House if $500 million would be enough to make a deal. The New York Times reported on Monday that the Ivy League institution was open to spending up to that amount to settle the dispute.