Washington – President Donald Trump announced that the United States will continue welcoming approximately 600,000 Chinese students to American universities, despite his administration’s broader crackdown on international students. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from his core MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters, who view it as contradicting the America First agenda.

A Shift in Approach

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump emphasized the importance of maintaining educational ties with China while pursuing other policy objectives.

“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,” Trump told reporters.

This stance represents a notable departure from his administration’s previous commitment to “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese nationals, particularly those with connections to the Communist Party or involvement in sensitive research fields.

Trade Leverage Remains

While opening doors for Chinese students, Trump maintained his tough trade stance. He warned Beijing that failure to provide Washington access to rare earth magnets would result in 200% tariffs. However, he assured that ongoing trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies would not impact Chinese students’ ability to study in the United States.

The announcement comes during high-stakes trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing, as both nations navigate a fragile truce while seeking agreements on tariffs, rare earth supplies, and US-manufactured advanced AI semiconductors.

MAGA Base Pushes Back

Trump’s decision sparked immediate opposition from his most vocal supporters, who characterized it as abandoning core campaign promises.

MAGA activist Laura Loomer launched a scathing attack on social media, calling Chinese students “CCP spies” and questioning the decision’s compatibility with the America First agenda.

“I didn’t vote for more Muslims and Chinese people to be imported to my country,” Loomer wrote on X. “Please don’t Make America China. MAGA doesn’t want more immigrants.”

She added: “Now that we are importing 600,000 CCP spies, what’s the point of American students going into STEM?”

Congressional Opposition

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a prominent Trump ally, also voiced concerns about the policy.

“We should not let in 600,000 CHINESE students to attend American colleges and universities that may be loyal to the CCP,” Greene posted on X. “Why are we allowing 600,000 students from China to replace our American student’s opportunities?”

Greene argued that if excluding Chinese students caused 15% of American universities to fail, those institutions “should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP.”

Economic Justification

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended the president’s position during a Fox News appearance, framing it as an economic necessity.

“The bottom 15 percent of universities would go out of business in America” without Chinese students, Lutnick explained. “President Trump’s taking a rational economic view.”

Policy Contradiction

The announcement appears to contradict the administration’s earlier visa policy outlined in May, which prioritized strict America First principles.

At that time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had stated: “Under President Trump’s leadership, the US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

The current policy shift highlights the complex balance between economic interests, educational partnerships, and national security concerns in US-China relations.