U.S. President Donald Trump demanded on Wednesday that Harvard University reduce its foreign student admissions to a maximum of 15%, down from the current 31%, while accusing the prestigious institution of accepting students from what he called "extremely radical regions" of the world.

Trump made these remarks in response to protests by Harvard students urging the president not to cancel visas for international students aspiring to study at the renowned university. During a swearing-in ceremony for the interim District of Columbia U.S. Attorney, Trump told reporters: "I believe the cap should be about 15%, not 31%. We have people who want to attend Harvard and other universities but can't because we have foreign students taking those spots."

The president further claimed that countries sending large numbers of students to Harvard "don't contribute to the university's budget, which relies heavily on U.S. government support." He questioned: "We want to understand why these countries don't help us. They're not investing in Harvard or our universities. So why 31%? Why such a high number?"

Trump also accused Harvard of accepting applicants from "extremely radical regions of the world," demanding the university share its student lists with the administration. "We don't want them causing problems in our country," he stated. "I want to ensure these foreign students are people who love our country... We want to see their lists. About 31% of their students are foreign. We need to know where these students come from. Are they troublemakers? Which countries are they from?"

The American president added he would consider when U.S. embassies could resume interviews with foreign students seeking to study in the United States.

Trump's comments came in response to a journalist's question following a Politico report that the State Department had suspended student visa processing until applicants' social media accounts could be reviewed. According to the American newspaper, the Department instructed consular sections at embassies not to accept additional appointments for student or academic exchange visas "until further guidance is issued, which is expected in the coming days."