Trump Seems to Align with Musk and Tech Colleagues in Dispute Over Foreign Workers, Sparking Tensions Among His Supporters
In a Saturday interview with the New York Post, Trump expressed his support for utilizing visas to attract skilled foreign workers to the United States.
TroibNews 
President-elect Donald Trump seems to be aligning himself with Elon Musk and other tech industry supporters amid a rift among his backers over the issue of immigration visas.
In a recent interview with the New York Post, Trump expressed his approval of visas used to bring skilled foreign workers to the United States, a highly contentious issue within his conservative base. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” he stated.
Historically, however, Trump has been critical of H-1B visas, describing them as “very bad” and “unfair” to American workers. During his first presidential term, he introduced a “Hire American” policy aimed at modifying the program to prioritize the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.
Despite his past criticisms and moves to limit the use of these visas, Trump acknowledged in his Saturday interview that he has utilized them in his own businesses. “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,” he remarked.
He did not address whether he plans to make any adjustments to the number or utilization of these visas after taking office on January 20.
Trump's strict immigration approach has primarily focused on undocumented immigrants and has been central to his presidential campaign and the priorities of his supporters.
Recently, however, his coalition has been publicly divided in an online debate about the hiring of foreign workers in the tech industry. Some hardline members of Trump’s base have criticized Musk and other tech supporters for endorsing policies seen as contradictory to Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Tech industry professionals, including software engineers, have argued that H-1B visas are essential for filling difficult positions, while opponents contend that these visas undermine job opportunities for American citizens. Some voices on the right have even called for the termination of the program.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
In a recent interview with the New York Post, Trump expressed his approval of visas used to bring skilled foreign workers to the United States, a highly contentious issue within his conservative base. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” he stated.
Historically, however, Trump has been critical of H-1B visas, describing them as “very bad” and “unfair” to American workers. During his first presidential term, he introduced a “Hire American” policy aimed at modifying the program to prioritize the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.
Despite his past criticisms and moves to limit the use of these visas, Trump acknowledged in his Saturday interview that he has utilized them in his own businesses. “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,” he remarked.
He did not address whether he plans to make any adjustments to the number or utilization of these visas after taking office on January 20.
Trump's strict immigration approach has primarily focused on undocumented immigrants and has been central to his presidential campaign and the priorities of his supporters.
Recently, however, his coalition has been publicly divided in an online debate about the hiring of foreign workers in the tech industry. Some hardline members of Trump’s base have criticized Musk and other tech supporters for endorsing policies seen as contradictory to Trump’s “America First” agenda.
Tech industry professionals, including software engineers, have argued that H-1B visas are essential for filling difficult positions, while opponents contend that these visas undermine job opportunities for American citizens. Some voices on the right have even called for the termination of the program.
Olivia Brown for TROIB News
