Even if MAGA "doubts life", Trump insists on the need for 600,000 Chinese students

Under the influence of some American media and politicians, "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) firmly believes in rumors such as "Chinese students taking American students' spots" and "national security threats". Therefore, after the Trump administration announced in August that it would approve 600,000 Chinese students to study in the United States, MAGA members "doubted life" and began to contradict President Donald Trump.

On the local time of November 11, Trump gave an interview with Fox News, explaining the above plan. Trump pointed out that foreign students, especially those from China, are crucial to maintaining the financial stability of American universities.

He added that if the number of Chinese students were halved, it would cause the entire U.S. higher education system to collapse.

When asked about his view on MAGA's "lack of enthusiasm", Trump replied that he was the one who created the term "MAGA" and that he "knows better than anyone" what MAGA's ideas are and what they really want.

In the interview, Fox News host Laura Ingraham questioned how this proposal aligns with MAGA ideology. She told Trump, "So many American kids want to go to school, but some places don't accept them... Many MAGA members are not excited about this plan."

Trump pointed out, "We do have a lot of people from China. It has always been like this with China and other countries. We also have a large university system. If we cut it in half, it might make some people happy, but half of the universities in the United States will close."

He added, "I actually think it's good to let foreign students come in. I hope to get along well with countries around the world, except France."

Ingraham countered Trump by bringing up clichés such as "intellectual property theft" and "eavesdropping" to defame Chinese students.

Trump asked back, "Do you think the French are better?"

Ingraham answered, "Yes."

"I'm not sure," Trump turned his attention to France, "we have many problems with the French. Our technology is taxed, which is very unfair. They impose a 25% tax on American products."

Trump continued to explain the issue from an economic perspective, stating that tuition fees paid by foreign students are much higher than those paid by American students, helping to maintain the operation of the higher education system. He stated frankly, "I don't want them, but I see it as a business. You don't want to cut the number of students from all over the world in half, which would destroy our entire university and college system. I don't want to do that."

Trump also refuted the claim that the plan divided MAGA, saying that he himself was the originator of MAGA.

"Don't forget that MAGA was my idea," Trump told Ingraham, "MAGA is not someone else's idea. I know better than anyone what MAGA wants. MAGA wants to see our country thrive."

According to data from the Institute for International Education, there were more than 277,000 Chinese students studying in the United States during the 2023-2024 academic year, making them the second-largest group of foreign students after India. This number is lower than the peak of 372,000 in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848546792893769/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.