also
foreign country buys $1 million in soybeans, they get soybeans
foreign country spends $1 million on American college tuition, those students live here, spend money here, their research benefits American institutions, they leave with a positive view of America, etc.
it's hugely valuable for us!
So many own goals.
Once again: higher ed is one of our most successful exports. We export more higher ed to China than soybeans. And yet Trump and the mini-Trumps are deliberately destroying the quality of our product