President Donald Trump has stood firm against criticism from his Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters regarding his decision to allow the issuing of 600,000 student visas to Chinese students, calling the move the “right thing to do.” The announcement marks a notable shift from the previous hardline stance his administration held on restricting foreign student visas.
The MAGA faction expressed outrage, seeing the decision as a betrayal of the “America First” agenda. Prominent allies including former adviser Steve Bannon, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, activist Laura Loomer, and Fox News host Laura Ingraham voiced strong opposition.
Ingraham said on her show, “I just don’t understand it for the life of me. Those are 600,000 spots that American kids won’t get.” Greene questioned, “Why are we allowing 600,000 students from China to replace our American students’ opportunities? We should never allow that.” Loomer went further, labeling the students as “Communist spies” and accusing Trump of undermining MAGA principles.
However, Trump defended his decision during an interview with The Daily Caller, a right-wing outlet co-founded by Tucker Carlson. He emphasized his “very good relationship with [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping]” and described barring Chinese students as “very insulting” to China.
Trump said, “I think what we’re doing is the right thing to do. It’s good to get along with countries, not bad, especially, you know, nuclear-powered countries.” He stressed that the 600,000 visas would be distributed over two years, which roughly aligns with previous student numbers, noting that in 2024, around 277,000 Chinese students attended U.S. universities.
Trump also highlighted the benefits Chinese students bring, particularly to “lesser colleges,” helping support their financial systems. At a Cabinet meeting, he told President Xi he was “honored” to have Chinese students in the United States.
Trump remarked, “I conveyed to President Xi that we’re honored to have their students here… Now, with that, we are cautious; we monitor who is present.”
Ingraham: how is allowing 600,000 students from China putting America first?
Lutnick: If you didn’t have those 600,000 students 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… pic.twitter.com/P8SbGsRH2y
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 25, 2025
This stance represents a sharp departure from earlier policy under Trump’s administration, which included intentions announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May to “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students, especially those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). There had been intensified scrutiny and visa cancellations for Chinese students in sensitive fields and involvement with the CCP.
Trump also appeared to soften his tone on Harvard University, despite his administration’s prior aggressive moves to limit its ability to enroll international students amid allegations of collaboration with the CCP.
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He said of Harvard, “I don’t want them to die, no, I want them to be great, but I want to be fair. And you know, they’re being punished.” Earlier his administration had sought to limit Harvard’s international enrollment to about 15%, down from its existing 27%, while demanding the university provide student information for vetting purposes.
Despite the backlash within conservative circles, Trump has made it clear that he will not be backing down regarding his decision about the Chinese students. It now remains to be seen how the MAGA bridge reacts further, seeing the President’s determination to let Chinese students study in American universities.
