Observers stunned as Nikki Haley takes harder line than Trump on Chinese student visa plan

By Fox News · Fox News

Former Trump U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley warned Thursday that President Donald Trump’s plan to allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the United States would be a "massive mistake." "That would be a huge gift to China and a threat to the United States," Haley wrote on X. Haley’s criticism surprised many conservatives who said they did not expect her to take a harder line than Trump on China and immigration. "I did not have Nikki Haley being to Trump’s right on immigration issues on my 2025 bingo card," wrote X user S.A. McCarthy, an editor at The American Spectator magazine. TRUMP'S CHINESE STUDENT VISA PUSH SETS OFF ALARM BELLS AMID RISING CCP ‘INFLUENCE’ IN US "I rarely agree with Nikki Haley . I think she is far too much of a throwback to failed George W. Bush era thinking," wrote conservative analyst Greg Lawson. "BUT, on this specific issue, she is right." Others questioned the economic logic behind the policy. "America has a shortage of workers in tech and we are training foreign nationals?" one user asked. "Holy s---! I haven't agreed with anything Nikki Haley has said in I don't remember when," wrote another. "It is insane for the Trump administration to allow 600K foreigners into American colleges — not because they are Chinese, but because the cost of college is already too high. Reduce demand = reduce costs." "When Nikki Haley is to the right of you, you’re making a big mistake," another user quipped. "Ladies and gentlemen, Trump is now to the left of Nikki Haley," added another. Trump first floated the 600,000 figure in August, alarming critics who have long warned about Chinese espionage at U.S. universities. More than 277,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S. during the 2023–2024 academic year, according to federal data. The White House later clarified that the 600,000 figure referred to two years’ worth of visas, meaning the proposal represented a continuation of current policy rather than a doubling of admissions. REP. GREENE RAISES RED FLAG…