On H-1B, Trump throws weight behind Musk, who says visa system ‘broken’

Amid a raging debate in the US over the H-1B system, an immigration program for highly skilled workers, president-elect Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who backed the visa policy while acknowledging the criticism against it.

The issue had flared up after Trump last week chose Indian-American entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence (AI) policy in his administration.

Following the appointment, one viral post on X labeled Krishnan an ‘India First’ operative, accusing him of aiming to replace American workers.

Soon, Musk and other tech barons backed H-1B visas as being critical for US firms to find highly skilled labor that is not easily available, and sought to expand the program.

“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump told The New York Post by phone on Saturday, referring to the H-1B program, which allows firms to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations.

“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,” Trump said.

To be sure, Indians last year made up over 70% of the holders of the H-1B visa, which currently has an annual cap of 85,000, with 65,000 for regular applicants and 20,000 for those with an advanced US degree.

In his previous administration, the president-elect had curbed access to foreign worker visas and has been critical of the program.

The change in Trump’s stance on H-1B visas runs the risk of being at odds with his “Make America Great Again (MAGA)” campaign war cry.

Republicans and MAGA backers want Trump to follow through with his promise to promote US workers and impose tougher curbs on immigration.

Musk vows ‘to go to war’ over H-1B

Musk, meanwhile, vowed to go to “war” on the issue of immigration visas.

Tempers soon flared on social media with X (formerly Twitter) user Steven Mackey slamming Musk’s backing of the program by using the billionaire’s own words against him.

“Stop trying to optimize something that shouldn’t exist,” a line often used by Musk, Mackey wrote.

“Let’s optimize H-1B,” Mackey sarcastically added.

Musk retorted: “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B.”

“Take a big step back and F–K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” he posted, alluding to a line from the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder.

Musk says H-1B system ‘broken,’ needs reforms

On Monday, the tech billionaire acknowledged that “the system” was “broken” and needed major reforms.

In a reply to Robert Sterling, another X user, who showed data on the social media platform to point out the H-1B “system is simply a way to recruit hundreds of thousands of relatively lower-wage IT and financial services professionals,” Musk acknowledged that “the program is broken.”

He suggested that the system can be “easily fixed by raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically.”

“I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform,” he added.

The tech billionaire, who himself migrated from South Africa on an H-1B, has been slammed by MAGA proponents, including right-wing influencer Laura Loomer and conservative writer Ann Coulter, who say the H-1B visa program has been abused and needs to be sharply curtailed.

Vivek Ramaswamy, the son on Indian immigrants and who is slated to run the new Department of Government Efficiency with Musk in the incoming Trump administration, backed the billionaire, arguing that US culture has long celebrated “mediocrity over excellence”.

Many Trump supporters have been increasingly pushing for scrapping the visa program altogether amid concerns over immigration.