India, Nov. 11 -- In a U-turn, US President Donald Trump defended the practice of allowing international students to study in the US, calling it "good for business" and supporting the nation's higher education system.

Appearing for an interview with Laura Ingraham of Fox News, Trump claimed that reducing the number of international students would be "financially destructive" for American colleges.

"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," the US President asserted. "I actually think it's good to have outside countries. Look, I want to be able to get along with the world."

Ingraham...