Trump Says Allowing 600,000 Chinese Students to Enter Is "the Right Thing"

"Good Relationship with Xi Jinping...
It's Best to Maintain Ties with Nuclear Powers"

U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed that his decision to allow Chinese students to study in the United States is justified, despite backlash from his core supporters.

AP Yonhap News

In an interview with the conservative U.S. media outlet Daily Caller, published on August 31 (local time), President Trump was asked whether his decision to allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the United States over the next two years was a negotiation strategy. He responded, "I did the right thing."

President Trump stated, "I have a very good relationship with President Xi Jinping of China," adding, "Refusing to accept students is an insult to a country." He further commented, "If we don't accept those students, it will also impact our own system," explaining that lower-tier universities would be adversely affected.

When asked what he hoped to gain in return for allowing Chinese students to study in the U.S., he replied, "I don't want anything. We're doing well. They are giving us hundreds of billions of dollars."

President Trump also specifically mentioned that it is beneficial to maintain good relations with countries that possess nuclear capabilities, though he did not specify which countries he was referring to.

Previously, on August 25, President Trump had announced that the United States would accept 600,000 Chinese students, a stance that contradicts Secretary of State Marco Rubio's policy at the end of May to aggressively cancel visas for Chinese students. President Trump's remarks about accepting Chinese students sparked backlash from his core MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters.

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene stated on X (formerly Twitter), "We should not allow 600,000 Chinese students, who may be loyal to the Chinese Communist Party, to attend American universities." Far-right YouTuber Laura Loomer also argued, "No one wants 600,000 students, perceived as Communist Party spies, entering the United States."