Let’s break down the ongoing clash within Trump’s circle regarding H-1B visas.
Over the holiday season, a heated public dispute emerged among MAGA supporters, with figures like Elon Musk passionately defending high-skilled legal immigration.
Musk, who has openly shared that he once held an H-1B visa himself, is firmly in favor of this program that allows companies to hire skilled foreign workers for specific roles.
On the flip side, right-wing critics argue that these visas drive down wages for American employees. Proponents counter that they bring in top talent and bolster American businesses.
Musk didn’t hold back on his feelings about this issue; he took to social media to express his frustration, saying that many key players behind successful companies like SpaceX and Tesla owe their presence in America to the H-1B program.
He even told a commenter on X to take a big step back and F–K YOURSELF, emphasizing how passionate he is about this topic.
However, Musk’s main opponent is someone much more influential: Stephen Miller. Miller is known for his hardline stance against immigration and played a significant role in shaping immigration policy during Trump’s first term as a senior aide at the White House.
He navigated the complexities of federal bureaucracy effectively and remained one of Trump’s trusted advisors throughout his presidency.
As Trump enters his second term, Miller is set to take on another important position as deputy chief of policy at the White House.
Back in September, I mentioned that Miller is the mastermind behind Trump’s mass deportation strategy. But he hasn’t stopped there; he’s also been a strong advocate for tightening up legal immigration, particularly when it comes to H-1B visas, even though his boss sometimes sends mixed signals on the matter.
During Trump’s first term, Miller was persistent enough to get what he wanted: the administration used the pandemic as an excuse to put a hold on all H-1B visas while they worked on rules that would seriously restrict the program.
So, while Musk might feel optimistic about Trump’s favorable remarks regarding H-1B visas during an interview last Saturday—where Trump claimed he’s always supported them—the big question remains: can Musk outmaneuver Miller in this policy debate?
So, what’s the deal with MAGA supporters getting into it with one another on X about H-1B visas during the holiday season?
The GOP has been divided for quite some time when it comes to high-skilled immigration. On one side, you have the pro-business group within the party who backs it, arguing that it attracts top talent and helps American companies thrive in the global market.
On the flip side, there’s a more nativist or populist faction that sees it as a scheme by elite cosmopolitans to dodge hiring American workers.
Trump has often found himself caught between these two viewpoints; he’s praised H-1B visas at times while his advisors like Stephen Miller have pushed to restrict them (Miller even tweeted last year that Big Tech is taking jobs from Americans).
This summer, things got a bit more complicated when influential tech figures like Elon Musk and David Sacks threw their support behind Trump.
During an appearance on Sacks’ podcast, All-In, Trump was pressed to commit to increasing high-skilled immigration—and he agreed! He even suggested (without being prompted) that international students finishing their studies in the U.S. should automatically receive green cards to stay and work here.
However, his campaign later clarified that only those graduates who undergo thorough vetting and can make significant contributions would be allowed to remain.
After the election, Trump appointed Musk and former biotech CEO Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which seems aimed at advising on ways to reduce regulations and spending. Sacks also got a title as the A.I. & Crypto Czar.
Recently, far-right activist Laura Loomer stirred up some controversy after Trump announced another venture capitalist named Sriram Krishnan would join his team focusing on AI policy.
Loomer expressed her alarm over this appointment, referencing an X post where Krishnan had mentioned that eliminating country caps for green cards could greatly enhance skilled immigration—something she argued doesn’t align with America First principles.
Things really escalated from there. Sacks came to Krishnan’s defense, but Loomer and her followers kept up their attacks, which took on some pretty nasty racial or ethnic overtones—especially since around 70% of recent H-1B visa holders are from India.
Loomer went so far as to label people from India as third-world invaders, claiming that America was built by white Europeans. She even questioned why people in India still bathe and drink in the same water.
Then Musk jumped into the mix, arguing that there’s a constant shortage of top-notch engineering talent, which he believes is the biggest hurdle for Silicon Valley. He also made headlines with a bold F*** YOURSELF post and vowed to tackle this issue in a way that would be beyond anyone’s imagination.
Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon didn’t hold back either; he called Musk a child who needs a wellness check and declared there should be no H-1B visas at all. Ramaswamy later chimed in with an extensive post on X, suggesting that major tech firms prefer hiring foreign-born and first-generation engineers over American ones because our culture has celebrated mediocrity for too long.
He criticized the tendency to value athletes over top scholars and took aim at popular shows like Boy Meets World and Friends, instead praising the film Whiplash, which depicts an instructor’s harsh treatment of a jazz drummer striving for greatness (and by the way, it was directed by one of Ramaswamy’s classmates from Harvard).
As for Miller? He hasn’t directly commented on any of this yet. But on the same day Ramaswamy posted his thoughts, Miller shared excerpts from a 2020 speech where Trump lauded American culture and its achievements, calling Americans the most adventurous and confident people ever.
Some folks on the nativist right interpreted Miller’s post as a counter to Ramaswamy’s message—a reminder of who holds real power in Washington. Given that Miller used to run Trump’s speechwriting team, he likely played a role in shaping those remarks—and he’ll probably have significant influence over immigration policy come 2025 and beyond.
Is it possible for Musk to take Miller’s place?
Right now, if you take Trump at his word, he’s all about supporting H-1B visas. He mentioned in an interview with the New York Post that he’s always been a fan of these visas and has even used them frequently for his properties. He called the program fantastic.
However, it’s interesting to note that the New York Times pointed out that while Trump claims to be a supporter of H-1B visas, he seems to have used them only occasionally, with his businesses leaning more towards H-2 visas for roles like cooks and housekeepers.
It’s also worth remembering that Trump has had some pretty negative things to say about the H-1B program in the past. Back in 2016, he suggested we should scrap it altogether because it was harmful to American workers. He argued that these H-1B workers are just temporary foreign labor brought in to replace Americans at lower wages.
For Musk and other tech leaders looking for an expansion of the H-1B program, they have a tough road ahead because they’ll need to deal with Stephen Miller, who is known for being a strong opponent of immigration.
Although Trump has sent mixed messages about legal immigration over time, Miller is very clear: he wants significantly less of it. In fact, when Trump paused legal immigration during the pandemic in 2020, Miller told his allies this was just the beginning of a larger plan aimed at cutting off new immigrant labor.
Unlike other figures like Bannon or Jeff Sessions—who fell out of favor—Miller has remained a constant presence in Trump’s circle and is often referred to as the “president of immigration.”
His influence during Trump’s first term was significant; he was detail-oriented and knew how to maneuver within the administration effectively. Plus, there was this belief among staffers that Miller really understood what Trump wanted regarding immigration policy.
So now you’ve got venture capitalists and tech executives who recently joined forces with Trump hoping for changes to H-1B policies—but they’re going to find it challenging getting around Miller.
While Trump might voice support for certain ideas, it’s really Miller who shapes those into actual policy decisions and knows how to stall or block anything he doesn’t agree with. As long as Miller keeps Trump’s trust and holds sway over immigration policy, it seems like restrictionism will remain firmly in place.
Oh! And there’s one more twist: just before this whole debate kicked off last week, Trump announced a new appointee joining Musk and Ramaswamy at DOGE—Katie Miller, Stephen’s wife! So congrats are in order for Stephen and Katie!