The White House views a payment of $500 million by Harvard University as a floor in negotiations for a settlement, and the cost of a deal could climb far higher if the school doesn’t submit to government oversight provisions,

"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.

A t Harvard you can study negotiation. This being Harvard, there is in fact an entire academic programme dedicated to the craft. The principles are simple. Understand your alternatives—what happens if you fight rather than compromise—and your long-term interests.