‘US doesn’t have certain talents’: Trump’s sudden u-turn on H-1B visas
After months of rows over the H-1B visas, US President Donald Trump said that the country doesn’t have people with “certain talents” and that foreign workers have to be brought in. Trump was speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham on November 12 when he made these remarks, leading to an uproar among Republicans.During the interview, Trump was asked if the “H-1B visa thing” would be a priority for his administration. Ingraham added, “Because if you want to raise wages for American workers, you can’t flood the country with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.”Trump replied, “I agree, but we also do have to bring in talent.”When the Fox News host attempted to counter him, saying, “We have plenty of talent,” Trump replied, “No. No, you don’t. You don’t have certain talents and people have to learn.”Trump further said, “You can't take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘I'm going to put you in a factory. We’re going to make missiles’... It doesn’t work that way.”The US President’s remarks drew intense backlash from within his own base. The H-1B visa, issued to ‘skilled’ workers, has been the centre of controversy after Trump won the presidential elections in November 2024. The visa caused a major divide in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) base in January. A section of them believed it goes against Trump’s nativist, white nationalist rhetoric, while others, like tech billionaire Elon Musk, insisted the H-1B visa brings in “talent”. H-1B visa beneficiaries are predominantly Indians, followed by the Chinese, in technology and engineering fields. In December last year, Trump told the New York Post, “I’ve always liked the [H-1B] visas ... I have many H-1B visas on my properties ... I have used it many times. It’s a great programme.” The US President initially appeared to have been in favour of the H-1B visa programme. Meanwhile, the visa became one of several trigger points for racist rhetoric against Indians working in the US, with the MAGA base accusing them of “stealing American jobs”. In September, the Trump administration raised the H-1B visa fee to USD 100,000 for all new applicants. The fee hike led to widespread panic and confusion among Indian workers in the tech and academia sectors. The move came amid increasing criticism from Republicans pushing for more stringent anti-immigration policies.When the fee hike was announced, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said, “The whole idea is, no more will these big tech companies or other companies train foreign workers … If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land.”Politico also reported at the time that Trump so directed the US Department of Labor to frame new rules regarding H-1B visa wage levels. The H-1B visa debate: Where race, caste and systemic flaws collide
AFTER months of rows over the H-1B visas, US President Donald Trump said that the country doesn’t have people with “certain talents” and that foreign workers have to be brought in.
Trump was speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham on November 12 when he made these remarks, leading to an uproar among Republicans.
During the interview, Trump was asked if the “H-1B visa thing” would be a priority for his administration. Ingraham added, “Because if you want to raise wages for American workers, you can’t flood the country with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.”
Trump replied, “I agree, but we also do have to bring in talent.”
When the Fox News host attempted to counter him, saying, “We have plenty of talent,” Trump replied, “No. No, you don’t. You don’t have certain talents and people have to learn.”
Trump further said, “You can't take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘I'm going to put you in a factory. We’re going to make missiles’... It doesn’t work that way.”
The US President’s remarks drew intense backlash from within his own base.
The H-1B visa, issued to ‘skilled’ workers, has been the centre of controversy after Trump won the presidential elections in November 2024. The visa caused a major divide in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) base in January. A section of them believed it goes against Trump’s nativist, white nationalist rhetoric, while others, like tech billionaire Elon Musk, insisted the H-1B visa brings in “talent”.
H-1B visa beneficiaries are predominantly Indians, followed by the Chinese, in technology and engineering fields.
In December last year, Trump told the New York Post, “I’ve always liked the [H-1B] visas ... I have many H-1B visas on my properties ... I have used it many times. It’s a great programme.” The US President initially appeared to have been in favour of the H-1B visa programme.
Meanwhile, the visa became one of several trigger points for racist rhetoric against Indians working in the US, with the MAGA base accusing them of “stealing American jobs”.
In September, the Trump administration raised the H-1B visa fee to USD 100,000 for all new applicants. The fee hike led to widespread panic and confusion among Indian workers in the tech and academia sectors. The move came amid increasing criticism from Republicans pushing for more stringent anti-immigration policies.
When the fee hike was announced, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said, “The whole idea is, no more will these big tech companies or other companies train foreign workers … If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land.”
Politico also reported at the time that Trump so directed the US Department of Labor to frame new rules regarding H-1B visa wage levels.
