Donald Trump is yet to officially step into the Oval Office, but a full-blown crisis is already brewing within his camp—centered around one of the most contentious issues of his presidency: immigration.
The controversy revolves around the H-1B visa program, a crucial route for tech professionals looking to work in the US. The debate began when far-right activist Laura Loomer fiercely criticised Trump’s appointment of Sriram Krishnan, a pro-immigration advocate, as the new senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence. The situation escalated when Trump’s allies, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, publicly defended the H-1B visa, telling Loomer and her supporters to "F*** yourself."
Trump, who is the face of the "America First" movement, swiftly sided with Musk, calling himself a long-time supporter of immigration. But for many in the MAGA base, his endorsement of skilled immigration felt like a betrayal of the very principles that fueled his rise to the presidency.
Here’s a closer look at the row:
Sriram Krishnan's appointment angers MAGA base
At the eye of the storm is the appointment of Indian-origin Sriram Krishnan. Krishnan, a venture capitalist and AI expert, has been tapped for the role of senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence (AI) in the Trump 2.0 administration. The announcement did not sit well with MAGA loyalists.
Krishnan’s pro-immigration stance (he’s advocated for eliminating green card caps and increasing skilled worker visas) made him a curious pick for a former president whose entire brand was built on restricting immigration. Trump didn’t help matters when he told The New York Post:
“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.”
For a base that rallied around promises to "hire American," these remarks were met with considerable disappointment.
MAGA screams 'betrayal!'
For Trump’s core supporters, Krishnan’s appointment was the tipping point. Far-right provocateur Laura Loomer expressed her anger on social media.
Loomer wasted no time in accusing Trump of betraying his “America First” policy, claiming that the tech executives aligning with him were simply out to line their own pockets.
Without mincing her words, she described Indian immigrants "invaders" and called Krishnan’s appointment as "deeply disturbing". She even made highly objectionable and racist remarks against Indians on X.
Loomer did not even spare Musk and his "tech bros" gang, saying: "The tech billionaires don't get to just walk inside Mar a Lago and stroke their massive checkbooks and rewrite our immigration policy so they can have unlimited slave laborers from India and China who never assimilated ... I don't care about being called "racist" by people who don't have the best interest of the American worker in mind."
Then there was Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist and self-proclaimed MAGA loyalist. On his “War Room” podcast, Bannon slammed the H-1B program as an "economic and financial scam with a dark underpinning of hatred of American citizens and our beloved Republic.”
Later, Loomer's sharp remarks set off a fierce exchange with David Sacks, the venture capitalist and former PayPal executive, whom Trump has appointed as the "White House A.I. & Crypto Czar."
Defending Krishnan's appointment, Sacks said the Indian-origin VC was not a "career leftist".
"Point of clarification: Sriram didn’t say he wants to remove all caps on green cards. He said he wants to remove *country* caps on green cards. Right now, every country in the world gets allocated the same number of green cards, no matter how many qualified applicants it has. So applicants from India have an 11 year wait whereas applicants from many other countries have no wait at all. Sriram still supports skills-based criteria for receiving a green card, not making the program unlimited. In fact, he wants to make the program entirely merit-based. Supporting a limited number of highly skilled immigrants is still a prevalent view on the right. Sriram is definitely not a “career leftist”! Sacks said.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's counter-attack
As the MAGA loyalists sharpened their attack, two of Trump’s newfound allies—Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy—decided to double down on their support for skilled immigration.
Musk jumped into the fray on X (formerly Twitter), saying: “The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low.”
To Musk, the solution was obvious: bring in the world’s best and brightest, even if it means opening the doors wider for immigrants.
Pushing back agains the critics, Musk dismissed them as "contemptible fools". He was responding to a post by Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden’s director of the US Domestic Policy Council. Tanden slammed Trump loyalists and said that a large part of the base of the Republican Party does not see her as an American.
Cartoonist Scott Adams said that MAGA Republicans are now "copying the Democrats' playbook on how to lose elections while still feeling good about it."
Musk acknowledged this, saying : "And those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem. The contemptible fools Im referring to are those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists. They will absolutely be the downfall of the Republican Party if they are not removed.”
At one point, he even asked a supporter from the MAGA base to go "F*** yourself".
When a user named Steve Mackey used Musk's words to criticise H1-B, the billionaire responsed: "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."
Ramaswamy chimed in with his own take. He argued that the preference for immigrant talent isn’t about intelligence but about drive. "The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans isn't because of an innate American IQ deficit... A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture.”
Ramaswamy’s suggestion that American workers lack the hunger and grit of immigrants hit a nerve. MAGA loyalists didn’t just disagree—they felt personally attacked.
Ramaswamy also tried walk back some of his earlier comments. He acknowledged that the H-1B system is “badly broken” and in need of reform, but his critiques of American culture continued to draw ire. His remarks painted him as someone more aligned with Silicon Valley than the Rust Belt—a dangerous position for anyone vying for Republican votes.
Trump’s H-1B history: A tale of two stances
This isn’t the first time Trump has found himself walking a tightrope on immigration.
During his presidency, he signed the 'Buy American and Hire American' executive order, tightening the rules on H-1B visas and emphasizing job opportunities for US citizens. Yet, as a businessman, Trump has relied heavily on immigrant labour, particularly through H-1B visas, at his properties.
This duality—slamming the program as a president while benefiting from it as a businessman—has always been a sore spot. His latest comments praising the H-1B program only reignited accusations of hypocrisy, leaving his base feeling betrayed.
A broader debate on immigration and culture
The H-1B controversy has exposed deep divides within the Republican Party. On one side are traditionalists who see immigration as a zero-sum game, where foreign workers take jobs from Americans. On the other are pragmatists like Musk and Ramaswamy, who argue that skilled immigration is vital for maintaining US competitiveness in a globalized economy.
Even Nikki Haley, another Republican presidential hopeful, jumped into the debate, taking a more populist tone. She declared:
“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.”
Haley’s comments served as a sharp counterpoint to Ramaswamy’s critique, highlighting the growing fault lines within the party.
The path to an H-1B visa
The H-1B visa allows highly skilled professionals with a relevant bachelor’s degree or higher to work in the US. Applicants need a job offer from a US employer who pays at least the prevailing wage for their field.
Each year, 65,000 new H-1B visas are issued, with an additional 20,000 for those with advanced degrees. The visa is valid for three years, extendable for another three. In 2023, over 309,000 extensions were granted.
India dominates, accounting for over 70% of H-1B holders, followed by China at 10%. Other countries like Canada, Korea, and the Philippines also contribute, making the program a global talent magnet.
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