Trump Defends 500,000 Chinese Students, Eases on Farmland as MAGA Allies Rebuke Him
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 20
Trump Defends 500,000 Chinese Students, Eases on Farmland as MAGA Allies Rebuke Him
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 20
Trump told Fox News in Beijing that Chinese students are "good students" and said banning them would needlessly inflame tensions with China, even if the stance "doesn't sound very conservative."
He also softened on Chinese-owned U.S. farmland, saying removing long-held Chinese purchases would hurt farm prices and farmers, though he stopped short of endorsing the practice.
Marjorie Taylor Greene quickly rejected that line, arguing American students lose out while roughly 500,000 Chinese students gain access and insisting Chinese nationals should not be allowed to buy U.S. farmland.
The split opened unusual overlap with moderate Democrats: New Democrat Coalition member Gabe Vasquez backed more legal pathways for foreign students to study and stay, while still opposing Chinese ownership of farmland on national-security grounds.
The remarks create a fresh gap between Trump and immigration hawks inside MAGA, even as they hint at a narrower bipartisan opening on student visas than on Chinese land purchases.
Amid debates on students and farmland, how does the U.S. navigate its complex 'One China' policy as Beijing's warnings over Taiwan intensify?
If U.S. universities depend on Chinese tuition, what is the true cost to American students and national research security?
With food security framed as national security, what new risks does foreign ownership of U.S. farmland and supply chains pose?