Elon Musk is accused of “retaliation” over the visa dispute

Conservative social media accounts on X make allegations Elon Musk in retaliation for opposing an expansion of the H-1B program, which he has publicly supported.

An account on the social media platform with the pseudonym @ConservativeOG, which has more than 430,000 total followers and promises to “embrace traditionalism” and “reject modernity,” said it had lost its verified status like all of its influencers.

“Our brand did nothing,” Conservative wrote on X on Friday. “We spoke out against HB1 visas and it seems @elonmusk intentionally shut us down? Is this the new status quo for America’s ‘freest’ social media platform?” The post was accompanied by a screenshot that said the account was “under review for verification as a Premium Plus subscriber.”

Despite users’ claims, there is no evidence that Musk ordered X to remove the blue check mark from subscribers who criticized him and the H-1B visa program. Newsweek attempted to contact Musk for comment by emailing the press offices of X, SpaceX and Tesla on Friday.

Why it matters

Recent posts by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on

Musk and Ramaswamy, appointed by the president-elect to head his newly formed Advisory Department on Government Efficiency, both said that hiring skilled foreign workers is critical to the operations of some U.S. companies, particularly those in the technology industry.

In a post on X on Wednesday, Musk said American tech companies need “twice” as many “super-talented engineers” as they have today.

“Think of it like a professional sports team: if you want your TEAM to win the championship, you have to recruit top talent wherever they are. This allows the entire TEAM to win,” Musk wrote.

“COURSE my companies and I would prefer to hire Americans, and we do, because it’s MUCH easier than going through the incredibly painful and slow work visa process,” he added in another post. “However, there is a dire shortage of extremely talented and motivated engineers in America.”

Musk, who was born in Pretoria, South Africa, came to the United States as a foreign student and later worked in the country on an H-1B visa. Ramaswamy’s parents immigrated to the United States from India.

The comments outraged die-hard MAGA supporters who want Trump to curb immigration and boost U.S. employment over the next four years, creating a rift between the movement’s historic base and the president-elect’s new allies in the tech industry leads.

What you should know

Several conservative accounts on

Ryan Fournier, president of Students for Trump, wrote on the platform that X had his blue flag removed despite being a verified user since 2016. “X removed my checkmark. I have no idea why. I haven’t updated anything and.” “My @ConservativeOG badge has been removed,” he wrote. “Strange,” he added.

Something similar was reported by New York-based conservative activist Gavin Mario Wax, who wrote on X that his verification ID was now being checked. “Strange! Didn’t change anything,” he wrote.

Both men had voiced strong criticism of the H-1B program on the social media platform, with Wax even resharing posts from people calling for the program to be scrapped entirely.

However, there is some confusion about how many accounts have recently lost their blue checkmark. Some claim the disappearance affected others other than those who criticized Musk. A user who describes himself as an “American imperialist” and uses the pseudonym @Cernovich wrote on the platform that “blue checks have been removed from several accounts that never posted about H-1B. Looks like something else, not retaliation or whatever.” recommended.”

According to X guidelines, the platform may uncheck a subscriber at any time and without notice “to minimize confusion and promote integrity on the platform” in the event of “changes to your profile photo, display name or username” or if the account was found to have violated the rules of the platform.

What people say

Ron Filipkowski, attorney and editor-in-chief at MeidasTouch Network, a liberal news websitewrote on X: “Petty Elon takes revenge on MAGA critics.”

Ian Miles Cheong, co-host of the Other View Podcastwrote on Wild.”

What’s next?

While Trump has restricted access to foreign visas during his previous term in office and has previously spoken out against the H-1B program, it is unclear whether he will stick to his tough “America First” approach or whether he will be persuaded by his peers by Musk and Ramaswamy to soften his stance on foreign workers during his second term.

It would be a political risk for Trump to follow or even adhere to the advice of Musk and Ramaswamy. Far-right activist Laura Loomer, one of Trump’s staunchest supporters, has already accused Ramaswamy on social media of trying to change her chosen policies.

“It is not racist against Indians to want the original MAGA policy that I voted for,” she wrote. “I voted to reduce H1B visas. No extension.”