President-elect Donald Trump signaled his agreement with Elon Musk in support of H-1B visas for skilled workers in the U.S. amid heated debate between Republicans.
“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told the New York Post Saturday.
Trump said that he recognizes the visas on his properties, saying, “I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
Trump’s comments come as the right clashes over immigration and the place of foreign workers in the U.S. labor market.
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tapped by Trump to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), argued earlier this week that American culture has not prioritized education enough, and therefore that foreign workers are needed for tech companies like Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla.
“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk wrote in the original X post. “Take a big step back and F**K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot comprehend.”
Many tech companies have embraced the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations, but critics of the program say H-1B holders are often chosen over U.S. citizens for jobs.
Former Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon argued that H-1B visas are used as a “tool” of the tech industry to drive wages down and he told Musk to “bring it.”
“Bring.It.Dude—All of It,” he wrote in response to Musk promising “war” on the issue of H-1B visas.
On his War Room podcast on Friday, Bannon referred to tech leaders like Musk as “on the spectrum” and incapable of taking criticism.
“The nerds don’t take criticism,” he said. “They’re kind of, you know, they’re a little bit all on the spectrum, right? They don’t know– they’re not deep in social skills.”
As American Liberty News previously reported, the president-elect has announced plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 upon taking office in January 2025. The law permits the president to detain or deport noncitizens from countries with which the United States is at war or facing invasion threats. Historically, it has been used during major conflicts such as the War of 1812, World War I and World War II.
Trump’s proposal aims to address what he calls the border crisis by focusing on illegal immigrants and organized criminal groups, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The administration plans to expedite deportations of gang members and violent offenders as part of this sweeping initiative.
Trump also reiterated his willingness to deploy military assets to assist in enforcement efforts, emphasizing his intent to use every tool available to crack down on illegal immigration.
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ELON, I SEE YOUR POINT WHEN OUR COUNTRY IS FAILING TO PRODUCE THE NECESSARY MINDS TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS!! WHY NOT START YOUR OWN UNIVERSITY(S) TO PRODUCE WHAT’S NEEDED?!
SOUNDS LIKE THIS PRESIDENT AND HIS VICE-PRESIDENT ARE ON THE SAME PAGE.
The H1-B visa program should be brought to a close until our nation has reduced through deportation the number of illegal and legal immigrants to one(1) million! Anything less is an affront to our great nation and its legal citizens.