President-elect Donald Trump has publicly expressed support for the controversial H-1B visa program, siding with tech billionaire Elon Musk and signaling a significant shift in his stance on immigration policy. The move has deepened divisions within Trump’s MAGA coalition, pitting his traditional base against his emerging alliance with techno-libertarian billionaires.
In an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, Trump said, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.”
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties,” Trump said. “I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
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This endorsement marks a stark departure from Trump’s 2016 campaign promises, when he vowed to dismantle the program. At the time, he criticized it as a tool for replacing American workers with cheaper foreign labor, pledging to eliminate “rampant, widespread H-1B abuse.” While Trump’s administration tightened rules around the program during his first term, it largely remained intact.
Musk and other prominent figures in the tech industry have recently voiced strong support for the visa program. In an expletive-laden post on X Friday, Musk credited the H-1B program with enabling him and others to build companies like SpaceX and Tesla, which he said have “made America strong.”
“I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” Musk wrote. He added that maintaining America’s status as a global leader requires prioritizing top engineering talent, saying, “America rose to greatness because it was a meritocracy.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), echoed Musk’s sentiments, arguing that U.S. immigration policies must prioritize “the very best of the best.” In a lengthy X post, he criticized American culture for “venerating mediocrity” and called for immigration reform to attract high-skilled foreign workers more effectively.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff proposed granting green cards to foreign students who earn degrees from U.S. universities, stating, “Can we staple a US green card to every degree earned at an American university?”
Trump’s endorsement of H-1Bs has deepened a growing rift between his traditional base and a new techno-libertarian faction led by Musk and other tech leaders.
Critics within Trump’s orbit, including activist Laura Loomer and former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, have opposed the program, citing concerns about the replacement of American workers by foreign labor.
Gaetz criticized tech leaders for pushing immigration policies, saying, “When Republicans embraced them, we did not ask them to engineer an immigration policy.”
Loomer, who was semi-deplatformed on X, expressed concern over the “replacement of American tech workers by Indian immigrants.”
The debate was sparked by Trump’s appointment of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American venture capitalist, as a senior policy advisor on artificial intelligence. Krishnan’s selection faced backlash from some MAGA supporters.
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David Sacks, Trump’s AI and crypto czar, defended Krishnan, while Musk labeled critics “hateful, unrepentant racists” who would “be the downfall of the Republican Party.”
Trump’s evolving stance on immigration has left many uncertain about how his second administration will handle the issue.
While his endorsement of H-1Bs signals alignment with Musk’s vision, immigration lawyers have warned foreign tech workers of potential challenges, advising those on visas to return to the U.S. before Trump takes office.
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