Trump casts an eye on foreign students: Told Harvard to “Show the list”, demanded 15% cap
America’s former President Donald Trump has once again opened the discussions with his sharp statements. This time the target is the country’s elite university – Harvard – and foreign students. In a statement given from the Oval Office, Trump has questioned the number of foreign students in Harvard and other American universities, and talked about imposing a cap of 15% for them.
“We don’t want shopping centers to be closed… We don’t want trouble in our country,” – Trump
He even called foreign students “troublemakers” and said that many students create chaos in America under the “radical left” ideology. Trump also claimed that these students were involved in many protests and riots, who instead of returning to their country stayed here and caused “riots”.
Told Harvard: “Show us the list of foreign students”
Trump directly attacked Harvard and said:
“Harvard has almost 31% foreign students. We should know which country these people come from, whether they are troublemakers, and what is their purpose. These countries do not invest in Harvard… we do. So then what does 31% mean? There should be a cap, maybe up to 15%.”
He says that if there are so many foreign students in the country’s universities, then there will be less space for American students. “Many talented American students are longing to go to Harvard, but they don’t get a place because the seats are taken by foreign students,” Trump said.
“We want students who love the country”
Trump also clarified in his speech that he has no problem with foreign students, but with those students who come with “radical ideas”.
“If a foreign student loves our country, that’s fine. But we don’t want those people who come here to spread hatred against America or incite riots.”
He said that Marxist and anti-American ideologies are being promoted in universities. This is dangerous for the future of the country.
Serious allegations against Harvard
In his statement, Trump even called Harvard a “disaster”. He said that Harvard has taken more than $5 billion and yet anti-American and anti-semitic tendencies are flourishing there.
“Harvard has become completely anti-semitic. The students and faculty there are speaking against Israel. All this has been exposed.”
Trump also said that institutions like Harvard are suffering a loss of “250 million dollars” every time they take a controversial decision. His suggestion was that the money from money-making institutions like Harvard should be invested in setting up trade schools.
“If Harvard’s money is used to set up trade schools that provide AI and technical training, then the best skilled labour force in America can be created.”
Major action against universities
During Trump’s tenure, his government made immigration policies quite tough. He even tried to cancel the visas of students, especially those who participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
The government has warned Harvard that if they do not provide full details of foreign students, their grants and funding will be frozen. According to reports, grants worth more than a billion dollars have already been frozen for Harvard.
Allegations of political politics also leveled
Trump also called Harvard the “donkey of the Democratic Party”. He said that only Democrats get senior teaching and leadership roles at Harvard, which promotes a biased and radical ideology.
Conclusion: Foreign Students Make America First
This new statement by Donald Trump is another form of his “America First” policy. He takes a nationalist and security-focused view on everything from immigration to the education system. It remains to be seen if Trump comes back to power after 2024, will these suggestions become a policy or will they just remain a political stance.
Do you think the cap on foreign students will be right? Share your opinion in the comments!