By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and DIDI TANG, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump seemingly caught his loyal conservative base off-guard and sparked backlash by saying he would allow 600,000 Chinese students into American universities.

That would be a departure for the Trump administration after it added new vetting for student visas, moved to block foreign enrollment at Harvard and expanded the grounds for terminating international students’ ability to study in the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has singled out China, the second highest source of international students in the U.S., saying in May that the State Department would revoke visas for students tied to the Chinese Communist Party and boost vetting of new applicants.

Trump’s announcement Monday adds to the confusion about the administration’s restrictive visa policies and its approach to China as the superpowers tussle over trade and intensifying tech competition. It also marks another divide with figures in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” base, who tout an “America First” agenda and had contested the U.S. inserting itself in the recent Israel-Iran war.

Some of Trump’s most ardent supporters — from U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to former adviser Steve Bannon and far-right activist Laura Loomer — rejected the idea of welcoming more Chinese students.

It’s not immediately clear why the figure Trump cited was so high — more than twice the number of Chinese students enrolled in the 2023-24 school year. The total also has been falling in the past few years. The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Here’s what to know about Trump’s announcement and the reaction:

What did Trump say about Chinese students?

During a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump was asked by reporters if he would meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“President Xi would like me to come to China. It’s a very important relationship. As you know, we are taking a lot of money in from China because of the tariffs and different things,” he said. “I hear so many stories about ‘We are not going to allow their students,’ but we are going to allow their students to come in. We are going to allow it. It’s very important — 600,000 students.”

Trump doubled down at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, sitting next to Rubio, where he said he was “honored” to have Chinese students in the U.S. and said they help colleges stay afloat.

“I told this to President Xi that we’re honored to have their students here,” Trump said. “Now, with that, we check and we’re careful, we see who is there.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said that Trump told Xi in a June phone call that “the U.S. loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America.”

It was a shift after the State Department announced in late May that it would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections with the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

How many Chinese students come to the US?

After decades of growth, the number of Chinese students in the U.S. peaked at 372,532 in the 2019-2020 academic year, just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. The number slipped to 289,526 in 2022 and further dipped to 277,398 in 2023.

In the past year, several U.S. universities, including the University of Michigan, have ended their joint partnerships with Chinese universities after Republicans raised concerns that U.S. dollars have contributed to China’s tech advancement and military modernization.

Experts say the number of students is likely to fall further because of tense U.S.-China relations and China’s declining population.

There’s growing bipartisan consensus that U.S. schools should not help train Beijing’s top talent in critical fields such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence and aerospace technology.

Kurt Campbell, deputy secretary of state in the Biden administration, has said he would like to see Chinese students coming to the U.S. to study humanities and social sciences, “not particle physics.”

During his first term, Trump banned Chinese graduate students who had attended schools with Chinese military ties.

How are Trump’s supporters reacting?

Bannon, one of Trump’s former advisers, criticized the announcement Tuesday, saying “there should be no foreign students here for the moment.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was asked Monday on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” how such a shift would be consistent with Trump’s “America First” push. Lutnick argued that Trump was taking a “rational economic view” and asserted that 15% of American universities and colleges would go out of business without those foreign students.

“I just don’t understand it for the life of me. Those are 600,000 spots that American kids won’t get,” host Laura Ingraham said.

Greene, the Republican congresswoman from Georgia, raised questions.

“If refusing to allow these Chinese students to attend our schools causes 15% of them to fail then these schools should fail anyways because they are being propped up by the CCP,” Greene said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.

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What is China saying about student visa restrictions?

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The foreign ministry has called out the U.S. for what it says is “discriminatory, politically driven and selective law enforcement” against Chinese students arriving in the U.S.

Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, said Friday that students have been treated unfairly and subjected to extended interrogations. Mao said some students had their visas revoked and were banned from entering the country after they were told they “might endanger national security.”

“The U.S.’s moves severely violate the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese nationals, impede the flow of people between the two countries and dampen China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges,” she said.

The embassy issued an advisory Monday urging Chinese students not to enter the U.S. through Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, alleging several students were harassed and interrogated by customs officials. The embassy said at least one student was detained for more than 80 hours before being sent back to China.

Burnsville

2024 record: 0-9 (lost in first round of Class 6A playoffs)

Returning starters: Most on offense, 3 on defense

Impact returnees: Senior running back back Caleb Kamara was the Blaze’s leading rusher as a sophomore who is healthy after his junior year was cut short by injury. Junior captain Sam Liebl played center last year for a Burnsville offensive line that returns all five starters.

Shoutout to a lineman: David Santos is a two-way lineman coach Vince Varpness describes as “big, physical and athletic.”

Schedule: vs. Robbinsdale Armstrong, at Chanhassen, at St. Thomas Academy, vs. Two Rivers, at Waconia, vs. Apple Valley, at Hastings, vs. Tartan

The skinny: There are numerous reasons for optimism in Burnsville this fall after a winless 2024. The Blaze are dropping down to Class 5A and have a roster that figures to excel at that level.

Not only does Burnsville return most of its offense – which has led to accelerated growth in camp – but the emergence of players like Jamari Sargent on the defensive line will allow guys like Landen Svendsen and Kamarh Woods – who played on the line last season out of necessity – to return to their natural positions in the linebacking core.

Mahtomedi

2024 record: 3-7 (lost in Class 5A, Section 4 semifinals)

Returning starters: 3 on offense and 5 on defense

Impact returnees: Running back Moseh Mouacheupao and wide receiver Alex Haase were big contributors as juniors. Mahtomedi coach Dave Muetzel said the Zephyrs will be balanced and are “looking for a few players to rise to the top.”

Shoutout to a lineman: “We should be pretty balanced up front,” Muetzel said.

Schedule: vs. Mankato West, vs. Highland Park, at St. Louis Park, vs. Bloomington Kennedy, at Bloomington Jefferson, vs. Tartan, at Cretin-Derham Hall, at St. Thomas Academy

The skinny: Can Mahtomedi return to state tournament contention this season after a slow start in 2024? It won’t be for a lack of effort.

“We have a great group of guys. They are working hard and very coachable,” Muetzel said. “This is a true ‘team.’”

St. Thomas Academy

2024 record: 7-4 (lost in Class 5A state quarterfinals)

Returning starters: Unknown

Impact returnees: Running back Dominic Baez ran for 1,187 yards and 15 scores last season while defensive back Todd Rogalski, who touts a St. Thomas offer, tallied three interceptions.

Shoutout to a lineman: Senior offensive and defensive lineman Birk Zeleny has Division-2 offers

Schedule: vs. Cretin-Derham Hall, at Rochester Mayo, vs. Burnsville, vs. Chanhassen, at Apple Valley, vs. Hastings, at Two Rivers, vs. Mahtomedi

The skinny: The Cadets sport what could end up being the most difficult schedule in Class 5A, but they’re built to handle it, again sporting a deep roster flush with college-level athletes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

By JOEY CAPPELLETTI and BILL BARROW, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — JB Pritzker took a water taxi along the Chicago Riverwalk, past one of Donald Trump’s famous downtown towers. The gleaming and heavily trafficked tourist district was a deliberate backdrop on the day the Illinois governor directed a defiant message toward the White House: “Mr. President, do not come to Chicago. You are neither wanted here nor needed here.”

The governor’s protests, however, may not matter. After Trump’s National Guard deployments to Los Angeles in June and Washington, D.C. this month, the Republican says his next targets for federal intervention may be two of the nation’s most Democratic cities: Chicago and Baltimore.

Trump’s possible move — targeting states whose governors are among potential White House contenders in 2028 — would be another escalation of presidential power, directly challenging the rights of states and cities to govern themselves. It also would intensify a partisan scramble for voters’ trust on matters of public safety.

For Trump, militarizing U.S. streets is the latest tactic to support his “law and order” branding and mass deportation agenda. It’s a way to cast Democratic leaders in affected locales as weak and ineffective, even as Trump exaggerates the violence he’s ostensibly trying to stop. Pritzker “should be calling me, and he should be saying ‘Can you send over the troops please?’” Trump said Tuesday at the White House. “It’s out of control.”

Democrats see a dangerous overreach by an aspiring authoritarian and have said they will challenge Trump in court if necessary. They also see in the political fight a way to persuade voters, especially moderates and independents, that Republicans bluster on crime while Democrats are better able to protect citizens and keep the peace.

“This is not about fighting crime,” said Pritzker, flanked on Monday by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and other leaders, adding that it’s more about “an arrogant little man” trying to “intimidate his political rivals.”

Yet there are risks for Democrats. Though violent crime is down across the country, including Chicago, arguing over how to combat what’s still happening means tussling on some of Trump’s most comfortable political turf. Additionally, Trump has demonstrated a willingness to block federal money for locales where elected officials have opposed him.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker greets people as he walks to a news conference in a Chicago water taxi Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

For Pritzker, another way to fight Trump

Pritzker, who is seeking a third term in 2026, has been among Democrats’ most vocal Trump critics. Weeks into Trump’s second administration, Pritzker compared it to the Nazi Third Reich. More recently, he welcomed Texas Democrats who fled the statehouse in Austin to delay Republicans’ partisan redrawing of the state’s congressional districts at Trump’s request.

In Chicago on Monday, Pritzker and Johnson emphasized that Trump’s administration had not reached out about its plans, first detailed in a weekend Washington Post story. The president acknowledged he hadn’t talked to Illinois or Maryland officials and at one point Monday said he might not send troops unless Pritzker asked.

Pritzker’s aides said his priority is to keep a federal deployment from happening. That’s why Pritzker and his staff hustled to gather a cross-section of political, civic and faith leadership in a made-for-TV show of unity that Trump would surely see. Of course, it also trained cameras on Pritzker.

“I know he doesn’t read … but I know he watches television,” he said of Trump. “And so perhaps if somebody from Fox News or from Newsmax is here, they’ll cover the fact that Chicago is in much better shape” because of what local officials are doing.

In a bit of Trumpian bravado, he added, “If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me, not time or political circumstance, from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law.”

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker listens to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s speech during a news conference at River Point Park, Monday, Aug.. 25, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Democrats want to reframe the conversation on crime

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, another potential Democratic contender in 2028, said Trump’s characterizations of Baltimore and other cities reflect a president “living in this blissful ignorance, these tropes.”

Nonetheless, voters have been siding with Republicans on the issue.

A CNN/SSRS poll from May found that about four in ten Americans said the GOP’s views on crime and policing aligned more with their own, compared to just three in ten who felt the same about Democrats. The rest said neither party reflected their views.

Trump also had an advantage on the issue over Democrat Kamala Harris in their 2024 general election matchup. According to AP VoteCast, a national survey of presidential voters, about half of respondents said Trump was better able to handle crime, while about 4 in 10 said this about Harris.

Democrats acknowledged the gap this week at a national party gathering in Minneapolis. In a presentation to Democratic National Committee members, party strategists noted Republicans spent about three times the amount of money on crime-related ads than Democrats did in recent presidential election years.

But they said there is an opening. They urged Democrats not to mimic Republican “tough-on-crime” rhetoric but instead position themselves as being “serious about safety, not empty scare tactics.”

Pritzker aides agreed Democrats have a chance to emphasize public safety policy choices.

A litany of speakers in Chicago cited drops – some of them considerable — in violent crime and property crimes in the city. They also highlighted the hundreds of millions of dollars in Trump administration cuts in federal support for law enforcement, housing and other programs that Johnson called “proven solutions to crime and violence reduction.”

“We cannot incarcerate our way out of violence,” the mayor said.

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There are notable places Trump isn’t mentioning

The debate also raises questions about where Trump has not called for federal intervention.

Trump, as a candidate, regularly assailed U.S. cities – not just Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Washington. Detroit was “decimated” and “filthy.” Atlanta was a “killing field.” Pritzker noted that Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee, have notably higher murder rates than Chicago.

But Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia all have Republican governors. Michigan, meanwhile, is home to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, but one who has deviated from her colleagues like Pritzker and California Gov. Gavin Newsom by engaging more directly with Trump, including in-person visits to the White House.

And even one leading Republican executive, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, added tacit support to Democrats’ critiques.

“Ultimately, the best public safety outcomes are delivered by local police departments and local officials, who know the communities,” he said in a statement, without mentioning Trump by name. “America’s mayors never see takeovers by other levels of government as a tactic that has any track record of producing results. Local control is always best.”

Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporter Steve Peoples contributed from Minneapolis.

Cretin-Derham Hall

2024 record: 6-5 (lost in Class 5A state quarterfinals)

Returning starters: Unknown

Impact returnees: Senior running back JaDale Thompson is one of the best in the state at his position. Ran for 1,287 yards and scored 18 touchdowns in 2024.

Shoutout to a lineman: Senior lineman Henry Malloy is a 6-foot-4, 270-pound center and defensive tackle with collegiate offers.

Schedule: vs. St. Thomas Academy, vs. St. Paul Central, at Bloomington Jefferson, vs. St. Louis Park, at Tartan, at Bloomington Kennedy, vs. Mahtomedi, at Elk River

The skinny: Former Gophers safety Kim Royston, a Raiders alum, is back to coach the program. He takes over a team on the rise that’s fresh off a state tournament appearance and has the talent to make another deep playoff run. This year’s regular season schedule starts and finishes with a pair of monster matchups that will show exactly where the Raiders are to start, and how far they’ve come by season’s end.

St. Louis Park

2024 record: 4-6 (lost in Class 5A, Section 5 semifinals)

Returning starters: 6 on offense, 5 on defense

Impact returnees: Senior linebacker Mason Helfmann is a St. Thomas commit and was a District defensive player of the year in 2024. Everrett Arnold is a 6-foot-5 quarterback with legitimate collegiate interest who threw for 1,127 yards and eight scores as a sophomore.

Shoutout to a lineman: Junior center Bennett Johnson stands at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds. “Great feet, moves well for his size,” St. Louis Park coach Jason Foster said.

Schedule: at Minneapolis Southwest, vs. Bloomington Kennedy, vs. Mahtomedi, at Cretin-Derham Hall, at Park Center, vs. Bloomington Jefferson, at Tartan, vs. St. Francis

The skinny: Helfmann will head a defense featuring playmakers in the secondary such as Dominic Barth and Josh Rickord, while Arnold has passing game weapons Cooper Schultz, Ryan Oliesky and Logan Odea all back.

The level of returning talent has St. Louis Park thinking of its first state tournament trip since 2017.

Two Rivers

2024 record: 8-1 (lost in Class 5A, Section 3 semifinals)

Returning starters: 20 in total

Impact returnees: Senior quarterback Drew Altavilla is a returning district MVP with 31 passing touchdowns on his ledger. He still has primary target Johnny Laugerman, who has 1,043 yards and 15 career receiving scores.

Shoutout to a lineman: Dayven Clairmont and Jacion Jones are both three-year starters paving the way for an explosive offense.

Schedule: vs. Spring Lake Park, at Simley, vs. Apple Valley, at Burnsville, at Hastings, vs. Mankato West, vs. St. Thomas Academy, at Northfield

The skinny: The Warriors have too many returning players to name, which will help them navigate more difficult waters in 2025.

A subdistrict shakeup has Two Rivers now playing more of their section opponents during the regular season on top of marquee matchups with Spring Lake Park and Mankato West. All of it should help Two Rivers sharpen its mettle ahead of postseason play, where it’ll hope to make a deeper run this fall.

Look out for Jayden Kinsel Arredondo’s emergence in the Warriors’ run game.