Trump Defends 500,000 Chinese Students in America Despite Security Concerns
"As far as the students, it's 500,000 students. They come— good students. I could tell them I don't want any students. This is a very insulting thing to say to a country. I frankly think that it's good that people come from other countries and they learn our culture, and many of them want to stay here."
About this episode
Host Megyn Kelly welcomed journalist Glenn Greenwald to discuss President Trump's controversial Beijing summit, the imploding late-night TV landscape, and several high-profile criminal justice cases. The central revelation came when Trump explicitly admitted in a Fox interview from China that the Iran war is being conducted primarily to help Israel, naming it first among beneficiaries including Gulf states and even China. During the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping provocatively invoked the Thucydides trap theory in opening remarks, positioning China as a rising power threatening an established America. Trump defended allowing 500,000 Chinese students in America and downplayed concerns about Chinese farmland purchases, revealing tensions between his America First rhetoric and deference to Wall Street interests dependent on China. The discussion turned to Stephen Colbert's theatrical farewell from CBS, with Kelly and Greenwald criticizing his martyr complex over a show losing $40 million annually. They examined how late-night comedy died as hosts became partisan political activists rather than entertainers, with Colbert's show reduced to MSNBC-style Trump opposition. The episode also covered Kamala Harris proposing radical Democratic agenda items including court-packing and statehood for D.C. and Puerto Rico in a meeting with Black women leaders. Kelly and Greenwald analyzed how these proposals, requiring only simple congressional majorities without the filibuster, could reshape American government if Democrats sweep 2028. In criminal justice news, they discussed the South Carolina Supreme Court's decision to overturn Alex Murdaugh's murder conviction due to jury tampering by court clerk Becky Hill, despite overwhelming evidence of guilt. They defended the decision as protecting constitutional trial rights even for apparently guilty defendants. The conversation concluded with mockery of recently exposed 'pretendians'— people fraudulently claiming Native American heritage for professional advantage, including folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie who lost her honorary degree after her Indigenous identity was proven fabricated.
Key takeaways
- Trump explicitly stated the Iran war is being conducted to help Israel first, also benefiting Gulf Arab states and China.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping opened bilateral talks by invoking the Thucydides trap theory positioning China as rising power threatening America.
- Trump defended 500,000 Chinese students studying in America and staying permanently, dismissing security concerns as insulting to China.
- Kamala Harris proposed Supreme Court expansion, statehood for Puerto Rico and D.C., and Electoral College reform in meeting with Black women leaders.
- Stephen Colbert's CBS show was losing $40 million annually when canceled, yet he and fellow hosts treated it as martyrdom.
- South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh murder conviction after court clerk Becky Hill explicitly tampered with jury deliberations.
- Folk singer Buffy Sainte-Marie had honorary degree rescinded after her Indigenous ancestry claims proven completely fabricated.