Prominent supporters of President-elect Donald Trump have clashed online over a visa program aimed at bringing skilled technology workers to the United States. This is a sign of potential tensions in President-elect Trump’s White House.
Vivek Ramaswamy, who was appointed by President Trump to cut government spending, defended the H-1B visa system and criticized America’s child care practices in a post on Thursday.
“Our American culture has valued mediocrity over excellence,” Ramawami wrote in a lengthy post, arguing that foreign workers would make the U.S. economy more competitive.
But the post quickly drew backlash from Trump supporters who strongly oppose immigration of any kind.
The uproar unfolded online over the holidays, with mainstream Republicans and far-right influencers joining in the criticism.
Ramaswamy’s views on skilled worker visas were supported by tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was chosen to co-direct President Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency.
Taking aim at American culture, Ramaswami wrote, “A culture that celebrates prom queens more than math Olympiad champions, athletes more than valedictorians, does not produce the best engineers.” Ta.
But Nikki Haley, Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican presidential candidate, pushed back against tech executives.
“There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture,” she replied to X, adding, “All you have to do is look at the borders and see how many people we have. Just see what you want. We should be investing and prioritizing Americans, not ‘foreign workers. ”
Haley, who like Ramaswami was born to Indian immigrants, joined far-right online accounts in opposing the visa program.
Laura Loomer, an anti-Muslim activist who regularly spreads conspiracy theories, is also known for her unwavering support for Trump, with posts that have been viewed millions of times and led online attacks. did.
Earlier this week, Loomer criticized President Trump’s choice of Indian-born entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as White House senior adviser on artificial intelligence. Loomer wrote that Krishnan is a “career leftist who directly opposes President Trump’s America First policy.”
Encouraged by far-right X accounts, she directed racist metaphors at Krishnan, calling Indian immigrants “invaders.”
Loomer then accused Musk, the owner of Company X, of “censoring” him by restricting his responses to posts on the network and excluding him from paid premium programs.
Echoing criticism of President Trump regarding President
Meanwhile, Musk defended the H-1B visa program, saying it attracts the “top 0.1%” of engineering talent.
“It’s the right frame of mind to think of America as a professional sports team that has been winning for many years and wants to continue winning,” he tweeted.
But critics online posted screenshots of his company’s job postings filled with people with H1-B visas, showing salaries of $200,000 or less, and saying that these He argued that the hiring of Americans does not constitute an elite talent pool, but rather is a means of suppressing wages in the United States. -born worker.
The number of H-1B visas issued is limited to 65,000 per year, plus an additional 20,000 for those who have earned a master’s degree from a U.S. institution.
According to a recent study by immigration consultancy Boundless, approximately 73% of H-1B visas are issued to Indian nationals and 12% to Chinese nationals.
President Trump has promised to begin mass deportations of illegal immigrants as soon as he takes office. He has been critical of the H-1B program and tightened its visa eligibility during his first term.
His vice president, J.D. Vance, who also campaigned against the program, has close ties to the technology industry. In his previous career as a venture capitalist, Vance funded startups that employed workers on H-1B visas.
The president-elect has also denied in recent days that he was under the undue influence of Musk or other billionaires who backed his campaign.
On Sunday, President Trump told a conservative conference in Arizona that he was not at Musk’s beck and call.
“You know, they’re starting a new initiative,” he told the crowd at Turning Point USA’s America Fest. “There are all kinds of false rumors. The new false rumor is that President Trump has handed over the presidency to Elon Musk.”
“No, no, that’s not happening,” he said. “He’s not going to be president.”
