Trump Says The U.s. Would Accept 600,000 Chinese Students, Sparking Uproar Among Some Conservatives

President Donald Trump’s latest comments astir allowing hundreds of thousands of Chinese world students into nan U.S. person drawn disapproval from immoderate of nan astir outspoken members of nan Republican Party.

Ahead of his meeting pinch South Korean President Lee Jae Myung astatine nan White House connected Monday, Trump told reporters that he plans to let 600,000 Chinese students into nan state — a fig much than double nan number successful nan U.S. now.

“We’re going to get on bully pinch China. I perceive truthful galore stories astir ‘We’re not going to let their students’” to travel in, Trump said. “We’re going to allow, it’s very important, 600,000 students. It’s very important.”

It’s a crisp departure from an announcement Secretary of State Marco Rubio made successful May, erstwhile he promised nan U.S. would “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students and adhd much scrutiny to each early visa applications from China.

While Trump stressed nan U.S.’ “important” narration pinch nan country, different high-profile members of his statement disagreed. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., railed against nan thought connected societal media.

“Why are we allowing 600,000 students from China to switch our American student’s opportunities?” Greene wrote connected X. “We should ne'er let that.”

Far-right influencer and doubly grounded Republican legislature campaigner Laura Loomer besides blasted nan idea, labeling Chinese students arsenic “Communist spies.”

“Nobody, I repetition nobody, wants 600,000 much Chinese ‘students’ aka Communist spies successful nan United States,” Loomer wrote connected X.

Neither nan White House nor nan State Department instantly responded to NBC News’ questions astir nan displacement successful argumentation aliases criticisms from nan members of nan GOP.

On nan Fox News show “The Ingraham Angle,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick fielded criticism from big Laura Ingraham that Trump’s comments tally antagonistic to his “America First” policy, saying nan move was an economical one.

“Well, nan president’s constituent of position is that what would hap if you didn’t person those 600,000 students is that you’d quiet them from nan top, each nan students would spell up to amended schools, and nan bottommost 15% of universities and colleges would spell retired of business successful America,” Lutnick said.

There were an estimated 277,398 Chinese world students studying successful nan U.S. during nan 2023-2024 schoolhouse year. Together pinch students from India, nan group makes up much than half of nan world students successful nan country. In 2023 alone, Chinese students contributed upward of $14 billion to nan American economy.

But Republican lawmakers person agelong attempted to stem nan travel of Chinese students into nan United States. In March, Republican congressmen introduced nan Stop CCP VISAs Act, which would halt nan issuance of student visas to Chinese nationals looking to study astatine American universities aliases return portion successful speech programs. The measure drew wide backlash from activists, schools and others, including Chinese students, who called nan authorities nan “new Chinese Exclusion Act.”

“I deliberation it’s conscionable blatant racism and xenophobia,” a Chinese student who precocious graduated from a Washington, D.C.-area assemblage previously told NBC News. The student requested anonymity retired of fearfulness of retaliation. “We are not spies. We are students who want to get a amended education.”

Trump’s latest comments connected students travel arsenic tensions betwixt nan U.S. and China person eased somewhat from earlier this twelvemonth erstwhile some countries threatened precocious tariffs. Talks person continued and tariff rates person cooled arsenic a 90-day waste and acquisition truce, established successful May, was extended done November.

Trump told reporters that it is simply a “much amended narration economically than it was earlier pinch Biden.” However, connected Monday he besides threatened to enforce 200% tariffs connected China if nan state does not export rare-earth magnets to nan U.S.