By John Oyewale
President-elect Donald Trump apparently expressed support for the H-1B visa program for highly skilled nonimmigrant workers amid an ongoing online row over the issue, The New York Post exclusively reported.
Trump spoke to the Post by phone Saturday, the outlet reported. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” he said.
“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.
Trump has opposed the visa program in the past.
Trump made his latest comments amid ongoing clashes over the H-1B visa program resulting from his announcement of Sriram Krishnan as Senior Policy Adviser for Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) Sunday.
Krishnan, an Indian-born U.S. citizen, began his career at Microsoft on an L-1 (temporary nonimmigrant intracompany transfer) visa before moving on to Snap, Facebook, Yahoo and Twitter and becoming a venture capitalist at Andreessen Horowitz, according to Axios.
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) appointees Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy support the H-1B program, arguing that the U.S. could lose out if potential talent left for other countries. (RELATED: CNN Commentator Tells Musk And Ramaswamy To ‘Focus’ Less On Immigration Policy, More On Saving Taxpayer Dollars)
“Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long,” Ramaswamy wrote in a viral post. “A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.”
Nikki Haley, who found herself in bitter competition with Ramaswamy during the Republican primaries, responded to his post. “There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers.”
Ramaswamy later wrote that the H-1B visa program was “badly broken” and must be based on merit rather than lottery or quotas for it to be reformed. Musk also called for the legal immigration process to be fixed.
Internet personality Laura Loomer dubbed Krishnan’s appointment “[d]eeply disturbing” in reaction to Krishnan’s November call to Musk for the removal of country caps for green cards or the unlocking of skilled immigration.
Musk labelled Loomer a troll and some others as “contemptible fools.” Loomer accused Musk of censoring her on X as the row escalated.
Former White House advisor Steve Bannon also chimed in, responding to Musk’s post defending the H-1B program. “Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler.”
The Daily Caller reached out to President-elect Donald Trump’s media team for comment but has yet to hear back.
