High-profile supporters of President-elect Donald Trump clashed online over a visa program aimed at bringing skilled tech workers to the United States — a preview of potential tensions in the next Trump White House.
In a post on Thursday, Vivek Ramaswamy, who was appointed by Trump to cut government spending, said, He defended the H-1B visa system and criticized American parenting practices.
“Our American culture has prized mediocrity at the expense of excellence,” Ramawami wrote in a long post arguing that foreign workers improve the competitiveness of the American economy.
But the post quickly attracted backlash from Trump supporters who staunchly oppose immigration of any kind.
The spat erupted online over the holidays, with key Republicans and far-right influencers joining in the criticism.
Ramaswamy's view on skilled worker visas was supported by Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who was chosen to co-run Trump's proposed “Government Efficiency Administration.”
“A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the Math Olympiad champion, or the athlete over the valedictorian (the top student in the class), will not produce the best engineers,” Ramaswamy wrote, taking aim at American culture.
But Nikki Haley, Trump's former ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican presidential candidate, spoke out against the tech CEOs.
“There's nothing wrong with American workers or American culture,” she wrote in response to X, “All you have to do is look at the border and see how many people want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing Americans, not Americans.” Foreign workers.”
Haley, who like Ramaswamy was born to Indian immigrants, has joined opposition to the visa program through far-right online accounts.
Laura Loomer, an anti-Islam activist who regularly spreads conspiracy theories but is also known for her unwavering support for Trump, has led the online campaign with posts that have been viewed millions of times.
Earlier in the week, Loomer criticized Trump's selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-born businessman, to be the White House's chief advisor on artificial intelligence. Loomer wrote that Krishnan was a “professional leftist” who “directly opposes Trump’s America First agenda.”
Encouraged by far-right X accounts, she also called Indian immigrants “invaders” and directed racist tropes at Krishnan.
Loomer then accused Musk, who owns X, of “censorship” for allegedly restricting responses to her posts on the network and removing her from a paid program.
Echoing Trump's criticism of the X Boss influence, she wrote: “Boss Musk is starting to look real…free speech is an illusion.”
Musk in the meantime Advocate for the H-1B visa program As it attracts the “top ~ 0.1%” of engineering talent.”
“Thinking of America as a professional sports team that has been winning for a long time and wants to keep winning is the right mental construct,” he said in a tweet.
But critics posted online screenshots of job postings at his companies filled with people on H1-B visas, showing salaries of $200,000 and much less, and said these hires did not constitute an elite talent pool but rather a way to drive down wages for employees in the United States. – Born workers.
The maximum number of H-1B visas issued is 65,000 per year plus an additional 20,000 visas for people with master's degrees from US institutions.
recently Search by Without BordersThe immigration consulting firm notes that about 73% of H-1B visas are issued to Indian citizens, with 12% of them issued to Chinese nationals.
Trump promised to begin mass deportations immediately after taking office. He has been a critic of the H-1B program and emphasized eligibility for that visa during his first term.
His deputy, J.D. Vance, has also campaigned against the program, but has close ties to the technology world. In his previous career as a venture capitalist, Vance funded startups that employed workers on H-1B visas.
In recent days, the president-elect has also denied that he is under the influence of Musk and other billionaires who supported his campaign.
On Sunday, Trump told a conservative conference in Arizona that he was not under Musk's control.
“You know, they're in like-new condition,” he told the audience at AmericaFest, organized by Turning Point USA. “All different hoaxes. What's new is that President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon Musk.”
“No, no, that's not happening,” he said. “He will not become president.”
