Presidential Insights on Chinese Students in the U.S.
In a recent conversation, President Donald Trump spoke with Daily Caller about his stance on allowing Chinese students to study in the United States. He expressed that supporting these students is, in his view, “the right thing” to do, emphasizing the importance of maintaining good relations with other countries.
During an hour-long interview, Trump elaborated on his belief that telling other nations their students cannot come here is, quite frankly, “very insulting.” He argued that restricting their access would negatively impact “lesser colleges,” while top schools, like those in the Ivy League, would not suffer as severely. “They don’t want to lose out,” he noted in his dialogue with White House correspondent Reagan Reese.
Here are some snippets from their discussion:
Reagan Reese: “600,000 Chinese students are still able to study here.”
Trump: “600,000 over two years.”
Reese: “Is this a negotiation tactic or do you believe it benefits the country?”
Trump: “I think it’s a very insulting thing to the country. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. When you say you’re not going to take your students, it’s humiliating. They probably have around 300,000 to 600,000 students over a couple of years, and it’s good for us—as a system. It’s primarily lower universities that would be impacted…”
Reese: “Should Harvard step back? Some conservatives might think it’s fine to let prestigious universities fade. But would that hurt smaller schools?”
Trump: “I don’t want them to fail; I want them to thrive. It needs to be fair, though. They’ve been punished. We have the best education system in the world, from universities down to high schools. Even without Harvard, they’ll find their way. Still, I find it very insulting to dismiss students. This could definitely hurt the overall system. Plus, I’m on good terms with China. They are paying us significantly now, trying to illustrate what that entails.”
Reese: “Yes.”
Trump: “It’s aggressive to assert that we don’t want students.”
Reese: “Right.”
Trump: “But it’s ultimately beneficial for us, and we’ve been doing well with China.”
Reese: “Is there anything more you want to ensure students can still study here?”
Trump: “No, I don’t need anything in return. We’re managing well; they’re paying us tens of billions. Even Biden has had his share, right? My approach began early, even prior to the pandemic. We had discussions with countries like Italy about taxes and duties. So, yes, I believe what we’re doing is appropriate. It’s crucial to engage with nations, especially powerful ones. If I were in charge during the Ukraine-Russia conflict, none of those kids would suffer.”
Recently, Trump announced that Chinese students would be permitted to study in the U.S. unless they pose a national security risk. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that the administration might revoke visas for certain Chinese students. During the Cabinet meeting prior to the interview, Trump said he felt honored to welcome Chinese students into the U.S.
