On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Ingraham Angle,” Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick defended President Donald Trump saying he’ll allow 600,000 Chinese students into the U.S. by saying that “if you didn’t have those 600,000 students, is that you’d empty them from the top, all the students would go up to better schools, and the bottom 15% of universities and colleges would go out of business in America.”
Host Laura Ingraham said, [relevant exchange begins around 4:25] “An issue, Mr. Secretary, for, I think, the base of the Republican Party, certainly for the ‘Ingraham Angle’ for many, many years, conservatives, is this idea of foreign students coming to the United States and taking spots that would normally be, obviously, open to American students. The President addressed this issue as part of the Chinese trade deal, which might be in the offing.”
She then played video of Trump saying, “We’re going to get along good with China. I hear so many stories about we’re not going to allow their students. Oh no, we’re going to allow their students to come in. We’re going to allow — it’s very important, 600,000 students. It’s very important.”
She then asked, “Mr. Secretary, with all due respect, how is allowing 600,000 students from the Communist country of China putting America first?”
Lutnick answered, “Well, the President’s point of view is that what would happen if you didn’t have those 600,000 students, is that you’d empty them from the top, all the students would go up to better schools, and the bottom 15% of universities and colleges would go out of business in America. So, his view is he’s taking a rational economic view, which is classic Donald Trump, looking at higher education and saying, until we modify that –.”
Ingraham then cut in to ask, “That just helps Harvard and UCLA and UCal-Berkeley, and you all are helping those schools, why? They’re like, — basically, factories of anti-American propaganda, and now they’re getting a big influx of cash because of the Chinese students. I know President Trump has always been very pro-Chinese student. I just don’t understand it, for the life of me. Those are 600,000 spots that American kids won’t get.”
Lutnick responded, “Well, I’ll tell you what I’m involved in, I’m involved in changing the H-1B program, right?” And then talked about that and green cards.
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