President Donald Trump split with immigration hawks by defending Chinese students in the U.S. while also softening on Chinese-owned farmland â creating friction inside MAGA and unexpected overlap with moderate Democrats.
Fox News Sean Hannity asked Trump in a recent interview from Beijing about concerns surrounding Chinese nationals attending school in the U.S. and China-linked entities purchasing farmland, including in sensitive areas like near that raised eyebrows earlier this decade.
Republicans have long warned that Chinese student visa programs could expose U.S. research and state secrets to the Chinese Communist Party, while GOP officials like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Nebraska Sen. Deb Fischer have pushed for tougher restrictions on Chinese ownership of American farmland.
“Its not that I love it. You want to see farm prices drop; you want to see farmers lose a lot of money just take that out of the market. But they’ve had a lot of land for a long time. Obama did nothing about it,” Trump said.
Trump also defended in the U.S., calling them “good students” and arguing that banning them would unnecessarily inflame tensions with Beijing.
“I frankly think that it’s good that people come from other countries and they learn our culture and many of them want to stay here,” Trump said, while admitting that it “doesnt sound like a very conservative position â and Im a conservative⦠commonsense guy. I think MAGA is common sense,'” he said.
The comments triggered of the MAGA movement, with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene disputing, “No â thats not commonsense.”
“Trump says its insulting to tell China their students cant go to our universities, imagine being an American student and receiving a rejection letter while 500,000 Chinese students get in,” Greene said, according to the left-wing New Republic. “And no â its not OK for China to buy our farmland.”
Some Democrats, however, appeared heartened by Trumps more moderate stance on a major sticking point in the immigration field.
Fox News Digital reached out to top Democrats on the moderate New Democrat Coalitions Working Group.
Chairman Gabe Vasquez of told Fox News Digital that while he disagrees with Trump “on a lot” regarding immigration enforcement, he will continue to support efforts to bring new blood into the American economy.
“I have long supported building Americas workforce by encouraging the best and brightest across the world to come study in the U.S. and build their careers and families here,” said Vasquez.
“Congress should expand more legal pathways for students to stay here and start businesses, grow the American economy, and help our country fill critical needs in key industries like healthcare, , quantum AI and engineering.”Â
A Vasquez spokesperson added that the lawmaker, however, agrees with conservatives on one point where Trump differed â that Chinese nationals should not be permitted to purchase U.S. farmland.
“Food security is ,” the spokesperson said.
Speaking to Hannity, Trump added: “I could tell [Xi], I don’t want any students, its a very insulting thing to say to a country. They would then immediately go out and start building universities all over China.”
Trump argued that without the influx of Chinese students, middling and lower-tier universities would begin dying on the vine financially.
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