Trump sparks MAGA backlash over plan to welcome 600,000 Chinese students

President Donald Trump sparked fierce backlash from his followers this week after announcing he would allow 600,000 Chinese students into local universities, marking a dramatic departure from his administration’s restrictive visa policies.

Unexpected reversal: The proposed figure would more than double the 277,398 Chinese students currently enrolled, which make up about a quarter of all international students in the country. “We are going to allow their students to come in. It’s very important — 600,000 students,” he told reporters at the Oval Office Monday. On Tuesday he doubled down, arguing, “It’s very insulting to say students can’t come here.”

The announcement marks a complete reversal from his administration’s stance. In May, State Secretary Marco Rubio vowed to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections with the Chinese Communist Party.” The timing also comes as universities report steep international enrollment drops; the University of Buffalo alone lost 750 expected students to visa delays, part of a broader 15% nationwide decline.

MAGA dissents: Conservative criticism from prominent Trump supporters has mounted across multiple fronts. Fox News host Laura Ingraham, for one, questioned the policy during a heated exchange with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “I just don’t understand it for the life of me. Those are 600,000 spots that American kids won’t get,” she said on her show. Meanwhile, former adviser Steve Bannon demanded on his podcast that any foreign student should have “an exit visa stapled to his or her diploma to leave immediately.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also offered a blunt response on X, arguing that schools dependent on Chinese students deserve to collapse. “If refusing to allow these Chinese students to attend our schools causes 15% of them to fail,” she noted, “then these schools should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP.”

How China is responding: Chinese officials welcomed Trump’s announcement while maintaining criticism of existing restrictions. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun called on Washington to follow through, saying, “We hope the U.S. will act on President Trump’s commitment to welcoming Chinese students” and urged America to “stop groundlessly harassing, interrogating or repatriating them.” The comments followed China’s Embassy issuing travel alerts about student detention incidents, including cases where Chinese nationals were held for over 80 hours at Houston’s airport.

The mixed signals create opportunities for Beijing to expand its global education influence, with Chinese and Hong Kong universities now actively recruiting students from Harvard and other American institutions facing restrictions. Complicating matters further, Trump’s team simultaneously proposed Wednesday to slash Chinese journalist visas to 90 days — part of an ongoing review of 55 million visa holders that particularly affects Asian populations.