Ingraham Challenges Lutnick on Trump’s Education Policy

On Monday, Fox’s Laura Ingraham engaged Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding President Donald Trump’s choice to permit 600,000 Chinese students to study in the U.S. She questioned how this decision would benefit America.

During an event in the Oval Office with South Korean President Ye Mi Myung, Trump announced his decision, stressing the need to maintain connections with China. After playing a clip of Trump’s remarks on her show “The Ingraham Angle,” Ingraham pressed Lutnick, probing how he interprets the notion of “America first.”

Lutnick explained that the president believes that without these students, American universities could face significant challenges. He mentioned that many students might flock to better institutions, potentially leaving less prestigious schools in jeopardy. His perspective, as he relayed, is that higher education depends on international students, and he emphasized that schools like Harvard and UCLA benefit financially from this influx.

Ingraham raised concerns about these institutions acting as what she described as “anti-American propaganda factories.” She mentioned her confusion over Trump’s commitment to this educational policy.

Back in June, Trump hinted at the advantages of Chinese students attending U.S. schools but cautioned that monitoring was necessary regarding their integration. This came after announcing an agreement between the U.S. and China about Chinese students being allowed into American educational institutions.

Lutnick also discussed his priorities concerning the H-1B program, indicating that he planned to reform the green card system under the Trump administration. He asserted that the current green card distribution system is flawed and proposed that the focus should be on attracting top talent to the U.S.

Ingraham voiced her belief that American engineering students should get priority in job opportunities, expressing confidence in their potential if given a fair chance.

This announcement from Trump follows Harvard University’s suspension of foreign entries to its programs, which had been aimed at students wanting to study or participate in exchange initiatives. The White House had previously highlighted concerns regarding “conduct violence on campus” as part of the rationale behind these measures.