After Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican leader’s associates, came under fire for publicly endorsing the H-1B work visa—a program that critics say is overly complex and ripe for abuse—President-elect Trump openly backed the program to allow highly skilled workers to enter the country.
“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said during a new interview with 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,” he added.
A number of Republicans, including conservative activist Laura Loomer and other staunch anti-immigration Republicans, have been critical of Musk’s social platform X, and Trump’s ally Ramaswamy is also expected to head the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Despite this, Trump has backed the program.
After Musk threatened to “go to war” over the matter late Friday night, the debate intensified even further.
Last month, Trump’s chosen AI policy adviser Sriram Krishnan suggested that Musk look into lifting limits on green cards for qualified immigrants, which seemed to start the controversy.
Krishnan’s remarks have recently made a comeback with his appointment to work in the incoming Trump administration.
After years of campaigning for a more simplified H-1B procedure, the Biden administration just published a rule earlier this month clarifying who can apply for the visas, which adds fuel to the fire of the argument.
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