Elon Musk causes outrage in the H-1B debate: Endorses a post in which he calls Americans “too backward” for skilled jobs

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of .
The post, shared by a pro-Musk account, criticized divisions within the political right over H-1B visas, saying: “The tech right says, ‘We need H-1B visa people to do the job,'” and the right is right.” is like, “No, you have to hire Americans.” The tech right says, ‘But you’re retarded,’ and the right-right says, ‘Well, you’re not training us,’ and the Tech right says, ‘You can’t train if you’re behind.'”
Musk responded, “That pretty much sums it up,” adding, “That was eye-opening.”

The comments came hours after Musk defended one of his engineers who made racist, anti-white comments, further inflaming tensions over his views on U.S. labor and immigration policy.
Ramaswamy defends foreign talent
Compounding the controversy, Vivek Ramaswamy, co-chair of President-elect Donald Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), faced backlash for blaming the lack of competitive American engineers on cultural issues. “It is not due to an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy and false explanation). It comes down to the C word: culture,” Ramaswamy posted on social media. He criticized the values ​​of American society, stating: “Movies glorify the prom queen, not the math Olympian. This way of thinking will not produce the best engineers.”

Ramaswamy warned that the United States could be disadvantaged if it does not address this cultural challenge. “Normal is not enough in a highly competitive global market for technical talent. If we do so, we will be kicked in the ass by China,” he wrote.
Haley and MAGA base fight back
Former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley quickly responded, defending American culture and workers. “There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. You just have to look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should invest in and prioritize Americans, not foreign workers,” Haley wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The comments also deepened divisions within Trump’s base. Activist Laura Loomer criticized Indian-born venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan, who was recently named Trump’s senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence. Loomer accused Krishnan of betraying the “America First” agenda, arguing that his support for lifting country caps on green cards would disproportionately benefit workers from populous countries like India and disadvantage American STEM graduates.
Conservative commentator Scott Greer echoed these concerns, stating, “Eliminating country caps would allow Indians to monopolize green cards, meaning we would get an even larger influx of South Asians into this country.” Trump supporters did not vote for a drastic increase in Indian migration.”
Tech leaders defend immigration reform
Amid the backlash, some prominent figures in the tech sector defended the need for skilled foreign workers. Richard Hanania, a far-right commentator, emphasized the importance of foreign talent in maintaining U.S. global competitiveness, while David Sacks, a key Trump ally, made clear that Krishnan supported a merit-based green card program rather than unrestricted immigration.
Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir Technologies, supported the reforms, saying: “We need the best and brightest to lead in AI and technology. Without that, we risk losing our edge to countries like China.”
A broken one conservative movement
As Trump prepares to take office, the escalating debate underscores a growing divide within the conservative movement. While some prioritize economic pragmatism and the role of foreign talent in strengthening the U.S. tech sector, others remain loyal to the “America First” agenda, raising questions about how the new administration will balance these conflicting priorities.