Trump, Musk show soft-spot for H-1B visa, ‘always liked it’ says Trump
Updated: Dec 29th, 2024
As Donald Trump’s swearing-in approaches, a fresh row over an H-1B visa took over social media. Contrary to his initial views on the visa programme, Trump was seen backing the H-1B visa saying he “always liked” it.
Trump had pledged to crack down on illegal immigrants and make immigration policies harsher. On the other hand, with the appointment of Indian-American Sriram Krishnan as the new head of the U S Artificial Intelligence (AI) division, Trump’s stance toward Indians has shown a conflicting side.
This has caused a split among his supporters. Elon Musk, who supports the H-1B visa, believes that American technology companies need to double the number of engineers working in the country.
Musk stated, “If you want your team to win a championship, you need to hire top talent”. In response, Laura Loomer, a far-right political activist criticised Musk, stating that there is a permanent shortage of engineering talent in the US, but this can be limited to Silicon Valley.
On December 26, Musk wrote, “What do you want, America to win or lose? If you force the best talent in the world to leave, America will lose”.
Trump’s staunch supporter and influencer, Loomer, heavily criticised Krishnan’s appointment. She raised questions about an old X post where Krishnan had supported giving work visas and green cards to professional workers, a stance that contradicts Trump’s. Notably, Trump recently declared the H-1B visa programme as acceptable.
Trump seems to have shifted his stance on the H-1B visa. Meanwhile, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy supported Trump’s position on the H-1B visa. Over 70% of H-1B visa holders in the US are of Indian origin, highlighting the importance of Indian professionals in the US tech industry.
Rift among far-rights
Musk and Ramaswamy’s statements regarding the H-1B visa have been strongly opposed by Trump’s supporters including Loomer, Nikki Haley, and broadcaster Braden Dille. Loomer tweeted that Vivek Ramaswamy knows the “Great Replacement” is real, adding, “I voted for Trump to reduce the H-1B visa programme. I want immigration to stop.”
Another supporter criticised Trump’s position, saying, “I always feel good when these technical brothers clearly tell you that they don’t understand American culture. With America, you also have a problem. We should invest in Americans and prioritize them, not foreign workers.”
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