Former President Donald Trump is vigorously defending his controversial plan to welcome hundreds of thousands of Chinese students to American universities, despite facing significant criticism from his own MAGA supporters. The defense came during a revealing interview on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" where Trump clashed with host Laura Ingraham over the policy's merits.
MAGA Concerns vs Economic Reality
The tension unfolded when Ingraham directly challenged Trump about his August announcement to grant 600,000 visas to Chinese students. "A lot of MAGA folks are not thrilled about your plans for international students," Ingraham stated, questioning why American universities should prioritize foreign students when "so many American kids want to go to school and there are places not for them."
Trump responded with a stark economic warning, arguing that cutting Chinese student numbers in half would cause half of US colleges to go out of business. "We have a massive system of colleges and universities," Trump explained, "and if we were to cut that in half, which perhaps makes some people happy, you would have half the colleges in the United States go out of business."
Security Concerns and International Relations
Ingraham pushed back with national security concerns, noting that Chinese students "spy on us, they steal our intellectual property" and are "not the French." The exchange grew particularly tense when Trump questioned whether French students were preferable, pointing out that "we've had a lot of problems with the French where we get taxed very unfairly on our technology."
Trump framed the issue as both an economic necessity and strategic advantage, stating that international students pay more than double what domestic students pay and bring "trillions of dollars" to the American economy. He emphasized wanting to "see our school system thrive" while maintaining the ability to "get along with the world."
Trump's MAGA Authority Claim
Perhaps the most revealing moment came when Trump asserted his unique understanding of the MAGA movement's desires. "Don't forget MAGA was my idea," Trump declared. "MAGA was nobody else's idea. I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else, and MAGA wants to see our country thrive."
This declaration comes amid ongoing trade tensions with China and follows Trump's previous restrictions on Chinese students. The former president's stance represents a significant departure from the concerns voiced by his core supporters about Chinese influence in American institutions.
Trump concluded by framing the student visa issue as a business decision rather than an ideological one, stating he wants to "view it as a business" while continuing to address what he calls China's unfair trade practices through other means.
