Overview
- Laura Ingraham challenged the policy by asserting the students in question were Chinese and alleging espionage and intellectual property theft.
- President Trump argued that cutting the number of foreign students in half would drive about half of U.S. universities into bankruptcy.
- Pressed on security concerns, Trump pivoted to France, saying the United States has had "a lot of problems" with the French and accusing Paris of unfairly taxing American technologies, citing 25%.
- French coverage highlighted internal MAGA tensions between tech-aligned advocates of foreign talent and hardline voices opposing immigration, as Trump insisted "MAGA is my idea."
- Reports focused on the remarks and their implications for U.S.–France friction over digital taxes, with no immediate diplomatic response from Paris noted.