Donald Trump surprised his MAGA supporters by taking the side of Elon Musk and other tech giants in a heated debate about immigration visas that caused a stir among his followers.
Musk this week threatened to ‘go to war’ with MAGA republicans after he defended visas for skilled foreigners over American-born employees.
Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla who was appointed by Trump to help lead the new Department of Government Efficiency, has voiced his approval of the H-1B visa program, which permits highly educated migrants to work in the United States for a period of up to six years.
Over the weekend, the incoming president commended the use of visas to attract skilled foreign labor to the country, a contentious issue within his traditional supporter base.
‘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.
In fact, Trump has in the past criticized the H-1B visas, calling them ‘very bad’ and ‘unfair’ for U.S. workers.Â
During his first term as president, Trump unveiled a ‘Hire American’ policy that directed changes to the program to try to ensure the visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.
Despite his criticism of them and attempts to curb their use, he has also used the visas at his businesses in the past, something he acknowledged in his interview Saturday.
Donald Trump appears to be siding with Elon Musk and his other backers in the tech industry as a dispute over immigration visas has divided his supporters
Musk has threatened to ‘go to war’ with MAGA republicans after he defended visas for skilled foreigners
‘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,’ Trump told the newspaper.
He did not appear to address questions about whether he would pursue any changes to the number or use of the visas once he takes office Jan. 20.
Trump’s hardline immigration policies, focused mostly on immigrants who are in the country illegally, were a cornerstone of his presidential campaign and a priority issue for his supporters.
But in recent days, his coalition has split in a public debate largely taking place online about the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers.Â
Hard-right members of Trump’s movement have accused Musk and others in Trump’s new flank of tech-world supporters of pushing policies at odds with Trump’s ‘America First’ vision.
Software engineers and others in the tech industry have used H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers and say they are a critical tool for hard-to-fill positions.Â
But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated.
Musk’s remarks about the immigration visa came after pharma entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who will co-run the DOGE with Musk, said this week that American culture was to blame for its need to hire foreign workers. Â
‘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,’ Trump
The Tesla founder and billionaire, who was recruited by Trump to co-lead his new Department of Government Efficiency, has expressed his support for the H-1B visa, which allows highly educated immigrants to work in the US for up to six yearsÂ
‘A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian [the top student in a class], will not produce the best engineers,’ he said on X.Â
To that, Musk responded in a tweet that has since been deleted: ‘That pretty much sums it up. This was eye-opening’.
The billionaire’s comments have enraged several Republicans who have an anti-immigration stance – which was a key feature of Trump’s electoral campaign.Â
Musk has clapped back however, and vowed to kick out ‘hateful, unrepentant racists’ from the Republican party in an X post.
He also tweeted that ‘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.Â
‘Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on the issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend’. Â
In a separate tweet he said:Â ‘America rose to greatness over the past 150 years, because it was a meritocracy more than anywhere else on Earth.Â
‘I will fight to my last drop of blood to ensure that it remains that land of freedom and opportunity.’
President-elect Donald Trump listens to Elon Musk as he arrives to watch SpaceX’s mega rocket Starship lift off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas
Musk’s remarks about the immigration visa came after pharma entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy , who will co-run the DOGE with Musk, said this week that American culture was to blame for its need to hire foreign workersÂ
Former chief strategist for Trump Steve Bannon responded to one of Musk’s tweets by saying: ‘Someone please notify Child Protection Services – need to do a wellness check on this toddler.’
Meanwhile Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said:Â ‘There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture…Â
‘All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritising in Americans, not foreign workers.’
At least 14 Republican X account holders have since claimed that their blue tick verification had been removed, which means they no longer have access to monetization through their profiles.Â
Musk was born in South Africa and became an American citizen in 2002.Â
He has clarified that he wants exceptions to MAGA’s anti-immigration stance for the top 0.1% of foreign engineering talent, as he said it is ‘essential for America to keep winning’.Â
America is ‘mostly Americans’, he pointed out, which he considers ‘re***ded’. Â
The spat is the first within the coalition convened by Trump, which brought together Republican voters and the tech giant who contributed to his second presidential win.Â
