U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a willingness on Wednesday to settle for $500 million a legal fight with Harvard University over $2.5 billion in funding his administration canceled over accusations it allowed antisemitism and promoted diversity policies.

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. ■

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,