The White House has issued a clarification regarding President Donald Trump’s comments on Chinese students. The White House stated that Trump’s statement did not pertain to allowing 600,000 new Chinese students to enter the United States. Instead, the figure referred to the approximately 300,000 Chinese students who have enrolled in American universities over the past two years.
Trump had stated, “I’ve heard many stories that we will not allow Chinese students to come here. We will allow them to come. 600,000 students are very important to us, we will work together with China.” This came amid criticism of Trump’s plans to grant visas to Chinese students. Currently, over 270,000 Chinese students are studying in the United States. This is a decrease from the over 372,000 students in the 2019-2020 academic year, dropping to 277,000 in 2023.
An official at the White House mentioned that President Trump is not proposing an increase in student visas for Chinese students. The 600,000 figure refers to visas issued over a two-year period and is an extension of the existing policy. Trump also stated that if China does not provide the US with magnets, he might impose a 200% tariff. Magnets are used in automotive, electronics, and defense industries. He also reassured that Chinese students would still be allowed to study in the United States.
Trump’s statements have been met with criticism in the United States. Right-wing political activist Laura Loomer strongly criticized Trump on social media, calling Chinese students communist party spies and accusing Trump of weakening his America First agenda. Loomer wrote, “I didn’t vote to invite more Muslims and Chinese people into my country… Please don’t make America China. We don’t want more immigrants.” In another post, Loomer tagged White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, stating, “I don’t want 600,000 communist spies in America. China killed 1.2 million Americans. Now they are taking our place? That cannot happen.”