Trump ignites conservative backlash after opening door to 600,000 Chinese students: 'What is this madness?'

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Trump allows 600,000 Chinese students in US, angering conservative supporters

Conservative voices oppose proposal to allow 600,000 Chinese nationals into American universities

By Cameron Arcand Fox News

President Donald Trump’s plan to allow 600,000 Chinese student visas to be issued drew strong criticism from the right on Monday and Tuesday.

The proposal comes as the president is amid trade talks with China, and backers of the plan could be necessary to keep certain universities afloat, whereas others say it could hinder the opportunities of American students.

"I hear so many stories that we're not going to allow their students," Trump told reporters as trade talks with China are ongoing.

"We're going to allow their students to come in. It's very important, 600,000 students. It's very important. But we're going to get along with China," he continued.

Trump expanded on his comments during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday.

"I think it's very insulting to say students can't come here because they'll go out and start building schools and they'll be able to survive it. But I like that their students come here. I like that other countries' students come here. And you know what would happen if they didn't? Our college system would go to hell very quickly. And it wouldn't be the top colleges, so it'd be colleges that struggle on the bottom. And you take out 300,000 or 600,000 students out of the system," Trump said.

"I like having, and I told this to President Xi that we're honored to have their students here. Now, with that, we check in with careful and we see who's there," he added.

Some immigration groups and conservative voices on social media voiced their opposition to the proposal.

"We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., posted on X late Monday night. "If refusing to allow these Chinese students to attend our schools causes 15% of them to fail then these schools should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP."

"Granting 600,000 student visas to Chinese nationals threatens to put foreign students ahead of U.S. graduates," Joe Chatham, director of government relations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"The focus now must be on reforms to limit access to sectors crucial to our economy and national security that have repeatedly been the target of corporate espionage and intellectual property theft—not expanding access to hostile countries. Educating foreign nationals should never be put before the interests of U.S. citizens and ensuring that our nation thrives," he continued.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick delved further into the Trump administration’s view on the matter when pressed on "The Ingraham Angle."

"With all due respect, how is allowing 600,000 students from the communist country of China putting America first?" Laura Ingraham asked.

"The president’s point of view is that what would happen if you didn’t have those 600K students is that you’d empty them from the top, all the students would go up to better schools, and the bottom 15% of universities and colleges would go out of business in America."

"He’s taking a rational economic view, which is classic Donald Trump," Lutnick added.

Many suggested that the free market should come into play with these colleges that could be at a potential financial risk.

"Let them go under, then! What is this madness? NO. WE DON’T WANT MORE CHINESE STUDENTS. We actually don’t want any," conservative commentator Kira Davis wrote.

"15% going under isn’t a bad thing," writer Ryan Girdusky posted to X.

"Trump's team is not capable of defending his Chinese student visa program," conservative lawyer Marina Medvin posted on X. "That's because they don't actually want it either. It's hard to sell something you don't like."

"So this is essentially a subsidy for academia. Got it. American universities shouldn't need an influx of foreign students in order to stay afloat. If they can't survive on American enrollment, then let them go under. Plus, Chinese students steal our research and send it home," Josh Peterson, a full stack developer and investigative journalist, posted.

Conservative commentator Liz Wheeler unleashed on the Trump White House, saying these Chinese students should be banned.

"Chinese 'students' are all spies for the Chinese Communist Party. They’re forced to be. They steal our intellectual property. They steal our tech. They steal our intel. They cozy up to our military," Wheeler posted on X. "Trump should ban all Chinese students from U.S. universities. Deport them all."

"This is the dumbest explanation I’ve heard. By all means, put colleges & universities out of business!" Wheeler said in response to Lutnick's defense of Trump's policy. "Their business is indoctrinating students into hardened revolutionary Marxists. If you want to save America, you’ll have to raze the university system. Perfect chance to start."

Others agreed with Lutnick’s perspective on the issue, saying that it could actually help the United States bring in more talent domestically.

"This is not as horrible as people are making it out to be. Chinese students on U.S. visas aren’t average kids. They represent the top tier of China’s youth," podcast host Joshua Reid posted to X.

"On the other side, we are hosting China’s future leaders, scientists, and innovators. Which also means that American culture returns home with them. When you start to think about emergent tech, this is actually a great idea. Bring the top level students over the US. This is talent that is pulled away from China and now becomes a national asset," Reid added.

At the conclusion of Lutnick's interview with Laura Ingraham, Ingraham remarks that American engineering students should be

Fox News Digital's Emma Bussey contributed to this report.


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