President Donald Trump said in a new interview that his administration’s decision to allow Chinese students to continue studying in the United States is both respectful to China and beneficial to America’s education system.
Trump told the Daily Caller that blocking Chinese students from studying in the U.S. would be “very insulting” and would cause smaller colleges to struggle.
The president spoke for one hour with the Daily Caller on Friday.
During the discussion, he addressed multiple issues, including higher education, foreign relations and ongoing conflicts overseas.
A portion of the interview focused on the presence of Chinese students in the United States and how his administration is handling the matter.
Daily Caller White House Correspondent Reagan Reese asked Trump about the approximately 600,000 Chinese students expected to study in the U.S. over the next two years.
Reese asked whether the decision to allow them to remain was intended as a negotiation tactic or whether Trump saw it as a direct benefit to the United States.
Trump responded by emphasizing that the decision was about fairness and maintaining relationships with foreign nations.
“I think that it’s very insulting to a country when you say you’re not going to take your students,” Trump said.
He pointed out that Chinese students number about 300,000 to 350,000 each year, and he believed it was good for the American education system to continue hosting them.
The president explained that U.S. colleges would be affected differently depending on their size and reputation.
“It’s also good for our system. When you take them out and you know who’s going to be affected, the lesser colleges. The top colleges aren’t going to be, it’s the lesser colleges that are,” Trump told Reese.
When Reese asked whether elite universities like Harvard and Columbia might suffer without Chinese students, Trump disagreed, saying those schools would remain strong.
“I don’t want them to die, no, I want them to be great, but I want to be fair,” he said.
Trump added that America’s education system, including both high schools and universities, is “the greatest system in the world” and should not be undermined by limiting foreign students.
Trump reiterated that excluding Chinese students would send a negative signal to Beijing.
“I get along with China. China’s paying us a lot of money right now. They’re paying us hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said.
He described the refusal to allow students as “insulting” and suggested it would harm diplomatic relations.
Reese pressed further, asking whether the decision was linked to broader negotiations or expectations of concessions from China.
Trump denied that the move was part of a bargaining strategy.
“No, no, I don’t want anything in return. We’re doing well. They’re paying us hundreds of billions of dollars,” the president said.
The president also contrasted his policies with those of President Joe Biden.
Trump said that his administration had already placed tariffs on China during his first term, while Biden had taken a different approach.
He noted that when the COVID-19 pandemic began, it became difficult to impose tariffs on European nations such as Italy, France and Spain, which were struggling under the weight of the health crisis.
Despite those challenges, Trump said his administration’s policies toward China remained strong.
He framed his decision on Chinese students not as a weakness but as a choice to maintain respect and cooperation.
“I think what we’re doing is the right thing to do. It’s good to get along with countries, not bad, especially nuclear-powered countries,” Trump said.
The conversation also touched on global conflicts.
Trump said the war between Russia and Ukraine would not have begun had he remained in office.
“The [Ukraine-Russia war] would have never started if I were president, all those kids would have been alive right now,” he told the Daily Caller.
The Daily Caller noted that on August 25, Trump formally announced his administration’s policy allowing Chinese students to study in the United States provided they did not pose a national security threat.
The announcement marked a shift from earlier plans.
The outlet added that in May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had stated that the administration intended to revoke visas from Chinese students, citing national security concerns.
Trump’s later comments and the August policy announcement indicated a different direction, one focused on maintaining educational ties and avoiding diplomatic fallout.
The president underscored the importance of international students to America’s universities.
During a marathon cabinet meeting earlier in the week, Trump had told Reese that he was “honored” to have Chinese students come to the U.S.
He described their presence as a benefit to both sides and said the policy aligned with his broader foreign relations strategy.
The post Trump Defends Keeping Chinese Students in America: ‘Right Thing to do’ appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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