Donald Trump has sparked fury among his supporters after suggesting that the US economy needs to import foreign talent for certain high-skilled jobs because there are not enough qualified American workers.
In an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News, the president defended the H-1B visa programme, popular in the tech industry, saying: “You don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn. You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory and we’re going to make missiles.’”
His remarks were met with immediate backlash from MAGA loyalists, who viewed them as a betrayal of his “America First” agenda. Anthony Sabatini, a Florida county commissioner, wrote on X: “This is insane—we are going to lose the mid-terms so badly.” Right-wing commentator Mike Cernovich added: “Trump broke everyone's heart with this line about the American workforce and H-1B's.”
The controversy highlights the deep divisions over the H-1B programme, which some see as a way to attract top talent while others argue it allows companies to undercut American labour with cheaper foreign hires. Trump has shifted his position on the visas multiple times, from vowing to end the programme to promising its expansion in 2024 to court tech figures.
Under his administration, Trump has raised fees for H-1B applications and increased compliance inspections. Some companies, such as Walmart, have stopped hiring through the programme, while the Chamber of Commerce has sued over the fee increase. Meanwhile, China has launched its own H-1B-style programme to compete for talent.
