President-elect Trump seemed to agree with Elon Musk in support of H-1B visas for skilled workers in the US as the right engages in the ongoing immigration debate.
“I always liked the visas, I was always for the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told the New York Post Saturday.
Trump said he recognized the visas on his properties and said: “I believed in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
MUSK ignites X with a profane movie quote in defense of the H-1B visa
President-elect Donald Trump smiles during Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest on Dec. 22 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
Trump’s comments come as a right-wing debate over immigration and the position of foreign workers in the US labor market.
musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, appointed by Trump to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) argued earlier this week that American culture has not sufficiently prioritized education and that foreign workers are therefore needed for technology companies such as Musk’s SpaceX and Tesla.
Many tech companies have embraced the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized jobs. But critics of the program say H-1B holders are often given preference for jobs over U.S. citizens.
Conservative pundit Laura Loomer speaks to the media in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
One of those critics, Laura Loomer, sparked a firestorm on X when she criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American venture capitalist, as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy.
MUSK AND RAMASWAMY INITIATE MAGA WAR OVER PROFESSIONAL IMMIGRATION AND AMERICAN “MEDIUM CRITICY”
In a post, she said she was concerned that Krishnan, a US citizen, could have influence The Trump Administration’s Immigration Guidelines.
“It is alarming to see how many career leftists are now being appointed to Trump’s administration when they hold views that are in direct contradiction to Trump’s America First agenda,” she wrote.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk. (Getty Images/AP Images)
Musk doubled down on his position on Friday
“The reason I am in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that have made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk wrote on X.
He then quoted the year 2008 action comedy, “Tropic Thunder,” a box office hit.
“Take a big step back and fuck yourself in the face,” Musk scolded.
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying a NASA spacecraft bound for Jupiter lifts off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Oct. 14. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
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Ramaswamy was also a proponent of the H-1B visa, writing, “American culture values mediocrity over excellence.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump Transition Team for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
