Were International Students discouraged from applying to the US this year?
Here're a couple of studies on this issue: One, Two.

There was a small decline - about 1-5% - in both applications and enrollment. This comes after years of growth. Whether the decline is because of the US's political climate though remains unanswered. Possibly - but it could also be a statistical blip.

For comparison, we also have record numbers of international applicants to UK universities in spite of Brexit.