MAGA reacts after Trump defends Chinese students and farmland ownership as ‘not America First’

Shift in tone angers Trump supporters, with influencer questioning if China has ‘defeated’ US
Trump defended the presence of over 500,000 Chinese students in US universities, warning that forcing them out could harm the economy and higher education system (Screengrab/X/@atrupar)
Trump defended the presence of over 500,000 Chinese students in US universities, warning that forcing them out could harm the economy and higher education system (Screengrab/X/@atrupar)


WASHINGTON, DC: Several statements made by Donald Trump during and after his two-day trip to China suggested a softer US stance toward Beijing as both countries expressed interest in building friendlier ties.

Among those remarks were Trump’s support for allowing Chinese students into the US collegiate system and permitting China to own farmland in America.

The apparent shift in tone angered some of Trump’s supporters, with one longtime conservative influencer questioning whether China had “defeated” the United States.

China's President Xi Jinping, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)
China's President Xi Jinping, right, and Donald Trump visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing Thursday, May 14, 2026 (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump backs Chinese student visas, farmland access

During his interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, Trump advocated allowing 500,000 Chinese students in the collegiate system, stating that telling any country that “'I don’t want any students’ is a very insulting thing to say.”

He also appeared to be changing his stance on China having farmland in the US, something he had long railed against.

Hannity, during the interview, pressed that China would not allow the US to have farmland near its sensitive military installations after Trump advocated that China could have farmland in the US.

“No, they wouldn’t let you. Look, it’s 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. They bought a lot during the Obama administration, and he did nothing about it,” Trump replied.

China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, left, visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing Thursday, May 14, 2026. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)
China's President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, left, visit the Temple of Heaven in Beijing Thursday, May 14, 2026 (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)

Further advocating for the admission of half a million Chinese students in the US colleges, Trump said, “As far as the students, it’s 500,000 students they come—good students. I could tell them, “I don’t want any students,” is a very insulting thing to say to a country. They would then immediately go out and start building universities all over China.”

Conservative base erupts after Trump’s statement

However, Trump’s statement did not sit well with his conservative supporters as many erupted in anger over having Chinese students in American universities and letting China own farm land in the US.



Longtime MAGA influencer Mike Cernovich shared the clip on X and asked, “Has China defeated our country?”



Idaho state Rep Heather Scott (R) also shared the interview and added, “China won’t be purchasing farmland in Idaho. We have state laws that prevent this.”

Sharing the snippet of the interview, one user suggested it was not a good idea to have nearly half a million “Chinese spies” in American universities.



“Here we go again. No, it’s not good to have 500,000 Chinese spies in the U.S. We should prioritize American students."

“And neither should Chinese nationals be allowed to own *any* American land.”

One more user questions Trump’s promise of “America first,” suggesting that it is not how “America first” looks.



“This is not America first. We are not an economic zone to sell off our resources to foreigners."

Another wrote that all the Chinese students are “spies.”



“What the f**k is this??? They are all CCP spies.”



Another user said, “I don't think I've ever heard Donald Trump sell out his base worse than he does here. I mean, these are like 95-5 issues among MAGA - that "Chinese owned farms in the US are a bad thing!" "500,000 Chinese students in US universities is much too many!" And he's defending China.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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