President-elect Donald Trump has weighed in on the debate that roiled his MAGA movement and split them in recent weeks: skilled immigration.
Department of Government Efficiency nominees Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk have come under heavy fire for their support of H-1B visas in recent days from the anti-immigration right.
Trump took Musk’s and Ramaswamy’s side with his comments Saturday.
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“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. “I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
This follows Trump’s comments this summer, which didn’t attract as many headlines, that he is in favor of giving green cards to people who graduate from universities in the U.S.
“You graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country, and that includes junior colleges, too,” he said on All-In, a podcast hosted by Silicon Valley tech investors.
The recent firestorm started after Trump nominated Sriram Krishnan, an Indian immigrant who became an American citizen several years ago, as his Senior White House Policy adviser on Artificial Intelligence.
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Musk and Ramaswamy threw their support behind Krishnan, who has worked for the likes of Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter, to the ire of those in the MAGA movement who oppose immigration. Opponents of Krishnan have lobbed attacks at the new administration nomination, which he has not responded to.
Trump’s statement looks to break the kerfuffle between the MAGA factions. Right-wing commentator Nick Fuentes, who said he did not vote for Trump after supporting him in the past, suggested Trump was a hypocrite for his recent comments.
“In 2016 Trump said the H-1B program ‘shouldn’t exist’ because it is ‘very unfair for (American) workers.’ Now in 2024, under the influence of Silicon Valley donors, Trump says he used and supports H-1B. This is the definition of selling out,” he posted on X.
Trump has opposed aspects of the H-1B visa in the past. During his first administration, Trump insisted that the process should not be abused and only the most qualified workers should be considered.
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He temporarily suspended the visas in 2020, which disabled over 100,000 immigrants from seeking jobs in the United States.
But his comments indicate his stance has changed, and his partnership with Ramaswamy and Musk will lead to more favorable conditions for those who seek H-1B visas.