US President Donald Trump speaking at the White House. (Photo: AP)

US President Donald Trump has defended the presence of international students in American universities, calling it “good for business” and warning that cutting their numbers would be “financially destructive” for the higher education system.

“You don’t want to cut half of the people, half of the students from all over the world that are coming into our country, destroy our entire university and college system, I don’t want to do that,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News ’ Laura Ingraham. “I actually think it’s good to have outside countries. Look, I want to be able to get along with the world.”

The comments mark a shift from Trump’s earlier rhetoric, which often leaned toward restricting immigration and foreign s

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