The decline shown is between 2016 and 2017. Trump wasn't President. Any decisions to attend in the US would have been considered well before it was even clear he would have a serious chance of winning.
There are two likely reasons for that dip. First, the cost of university education in the US is quite high. Second and in tandem with the first issue, countries like China that formerly would have sent a lot of students to the US, increasingly have the education systems and infrastructure - along with the post education opportunities - in place to retain their own talent pools.
Trump was, in fact, President well before the 16 April — 15 November period covered for the 2017 data.
> Any decisions to attend in the US would have been considered well before it was even clear he would have a serious chance of winning.
But would have had ample time to be reconsidered after he won, and even after the initial implementation of the travel ban.
> There are two likely reasons for that dip. First, the cost of university education in the US is quite high
That was true I've the 2012–2016 period of increase, too, it didn't change between 2016 and 2017.
> Second and in tandem with the first issue, countries like China that formerly would have sent a lot of students to the US, increasingly have the education systems and infrastructure - along with the post education opportunities - in place to retain their own talent pools.
That also didn't dramatically change between 2016 and 2017.
What did dramatically change between 2016 and 2017 was the visible attitude of the U.S. public and government to foreigners.