President Trump defended saying he would allow 600,000 students from China into the U.S., despite backlash from some of his supporters who say the shift in his strict visa policies undermines his “America first” agenda.
In an interview with the Daily Caller released Sunday, the president said China is paying America “a lot of money right now” and insisted that allowing Chinese students to attend U.S. universities is the “right thing to do.”
“I have a very good relationship with President Xi. I think it’s very insulting to a country when you say you’re not going to take your students,” Trump said when asked whether his recent remarks were a negotiating tactic or something he thinks would benefit the United States.
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“You know, I get along with China,” Trump added. “China’s paying us a lot of money right now. They’re paying us hundreds of millions of dollars.”
During a meeting with the president of South Korea this week, Trump stressed the importance of his relationship with China, telling reporters, “We’re going to allow their students to come in. We’re going to allow it. It’s very important — 600,000 students. It’s very important.”
Trump’s comments marked a shift from earlier in the year, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he planned to “aggressively” revoke visas from Chinese students, particularly those “with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”
The administration has generally worked to curtail student visas, not expand them, as part of the president’s broader immigration crackdown.
Trump, in the hour-long interview conducted on Friday, told the Daily Caller that the 600,000 figure refers to “over two years,” and that he doesn’t want anything from Beijing in exchange.
“No, no, I don’t want anything in return. We’re doing well. They’re paying us hundreds of billions of dollars,” Trump said in the interview.
“They paid Biden, you know? Well, Biden left mine, you know, I did this in my first term. A lot of people don’t know. And then when COVID came, it was hard to say to Italy, which was just getting decimated, right? Italy and France and Spain, we’re going to put taxes on yourself. We’re going to charge you a nice tax or tariff,” Trump continued.
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“So, no, I just think it’s, I think it’s, 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. I think it’s good to get along with countries,” he added.
It was not immediately whether Trump’s comments referred to U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump initially imposed tariffs on China during his first term, and former President Biden kept them in place when he took office.
The latest comments come amid ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and Beijing. The two sides levied huge tariffs on goods earlier this year, but brought the rates down significantly during the talks.
