Donald Trump remains silent on H-1B visas as MAGA civil war escalates

President-elect Donald Trump has remained silent on H-1B visas as the dispute escalates within his Make America Great Again (MAGA) coalition over the skilled foreign worker program.

Newsweek asked Trump’s transition team for comment via email late Saturday morning.

Why it matters

Trump has not yet taken a clear position on H-1B visas and legal immigration in general. An affirmative response from the MAGA grassroots leader could potentially quell the online civil war that has erupted between those in business who believe skilled legal migration boosts the U.S. economy and those of his supporters who believe it does so at the expense of the American workers.

What you should know

The dispute over the H-1B visa program began this week after conservative activist Laura Loomer criticized Trump’s appointment of Indian-born entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as his senior artificial intelligence (AI) policy adviser. Loomer pointed to Krishnan’s past support for making it easier for skilled foreigners to work in the U.S., which Loomer said on X, formerly Twitter, was “in direct contradiction” to the Trump agenda.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a close Trump ally, has defended foreign-born workers as essential to meeting the needs of U.S. companies, citing a lack of homegrown talent.

Musk is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in South Africa. The tech tycoon once held an H-1B visa and his companies Tesla and SpaceX employed H-1B visa workers.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who will co-lead the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with Musk, echoed Musk’s sentiments, writing on X on Thursday: “For far too long our American culture has revered mediocrity over excellence.”

On Friday evening, Musk said he would “go to war” to defend H-1B visas, causing a stir on social media.

Meanwhile, Trump suggested during an interview on All in Podcast in June that international students graduating from American universities should receive green cards.

“If you graduate or get your doctorate from a university, you should be able to stay in this country,” he said.

What people say

Loomer Thursday over a-Lago will be over soon, folks.

musk on Friday over the face. I will go to war over this matter that you cannot possibly imagine.

Steve Bannona MAGA media personality and Trump’s former chief White House strategist, responded to Musk’s war threat via Gettr on Saturday: “Please notify ‘Child Protective Services’ – I need to do a ‘health check’ on this toddler.”

Ramaswamy posted on Friday on concentrated (no lottery), promotes competition (no contractual obligation for a company) and reduces bureaucracy.”

Tech entrepreneur David Sacks posted on X on Wednesday: “Sriram (Krishnan) has been a US citizen for a decade. He doesn’t rule America.” He advises on AI policy. It will have no impact on U.S. immigration policy, and I now wish you a Merry Christmas.

What happens next

Trump’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration have broad support among his base. Meanwhile, the president-elect will have to walk a tightrope on legal immigration after his inauguration on January 20 if he doesn’t want to anger a powerful section of his supporters.