Trump stirs backlash on China’s involvement in colleges, farmland
President Donald Trump faced criticism from some conservatives after defending China’s role in U.S. affairs, including allowing Chinese students to enroll in American universities and defending Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland. During a Fox News appearance, he argued that pushing Chinese entities out could reduce enrollment numbers and harm U.S. universities,which he said rely on international students. He also suggested it would be insulting to China to restrict student admissions.
The backlash included sharp objections from figures such as former Rep.Marjorie Taylor greene, who portrayed Trump’s stance as unfair to American applicants, and the Young Republicans of Texas, who dismissed concerns about university dependence on Chinese student enrollment. Florida gubernatorial hopeful James Fishback went further by threatening to raise tuition for Chinese students if Trump allows them into Florida colleges.
On Capitol Hill, Republican responses were more cautious: Rep. Mike Lawler cited ongoing concerns about China buying farmland and land near sensitive military areas, while Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick emphasized the value of cultural diversity in education.
President Donald Trump’s support for allowing Chinese students to enroll in U.S. universities and his defense of Chinese ownership of farmland have sparked outcry from conservatives.
Coming off the back of a visit to China for talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump defended Chinese entities’ ownership of U.S. farmland, saying farm prices would “drop” if those companies were pushed out of the sector.
“You want to see farmers lose a lot of money?” Trump asked during an appearance on Fox News’s Hannity Thursday night. “Just take that out of the market. But they’ve had a lot of land for a long time. Obama did nothing about it. They bought a lot of it during the Obama administration. He did nothing about it.”
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National security concerns over China-owned U.S. farmland have been long-standing, particularly over fears that adversaries could spy on the United States. Chinese primary investors reported owning over 245,000 acres of U.S. farmland as of 2024, according to the Department of Agriculture.
But Trump also said it would be a “very insulting thing” for him to tell China that the U.S. doesn’t want to accept Chinese students.
The president said if the U.S. pushed out Chinese students, the country would likely start building more universities in China, and ultimately harm America’s higher education institutions that rely on their enrollment.
“If you want to see a university system die, take a half a million people out of it,” Trump said.
Trump went on to say he viewed it as a good thing that people from other countries come to the U.S. and learn American culture.
“I think it’s good,” Trump said. “Not everybody agrees with me, and it doesn’t sound like a very conservative position, and I’m as conservative — I’m a conservative guy. I’m really a common-sense guy, I think, more than a conservative guy. I think MAGA is common sense.”
Trump’s support of Chinese student enrollment in the U.S. sparked outcry from some Republicans, most prominently from former Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who rejected Trump’s sentiment that it was “common sense.”
“Trump says it’s insulting to tell China their students can’t go to our universities, imagine being an American student and receiving a rejection letter while 500,000 Chinese students get in,” Greene posted on X, while also decrying Trump’s defense of Chinese entities owning U.S. farmland.
The Young Republicans of Texas similarly rejected the defense of U.S. enrollment of Chinese students, saying in a post to X that if universities are dependent on the registration, then “that’s their problem.”
“What about the Americans who face the insult of their own government giving companies tax incentives to hire foreigners first?” the group said.
Florida gubernatorial hopeful James Fishback, meanwhile, threatened that if he wins the governorship and Trump allows Chinese students to enroll in Florida colleges, he will “raise tuition on them to $1,000,000/year.”
“As Governor, I refuse to let the limited admission spots at our taxpayer-funded colleges be stolen by foreigners,” Fishback posted on X.
On Capitol Hill, Republican lawmakers were measured in their responses.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said he has concerns about China purchasing farmland, as well as land near sensitive military locations, but that the long-standing issues would continue to be evaluated as the president returned from his trip to China.
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“I’ve had concerns about China purchasing land in the United States for years, so we’ll learn more information as to what was discussed on the president’s trip,” Lawler said.
On student enrollment, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said, “the educational experience is enriched by cultural diversity. And I think we ought to encourage that.”
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