Washington DC:
US President-elect Donald Trump appeared to side with ally and tech billionaire Elon Musk over the ongoing H-1B row and said America needs “smart people” coming into our country. Mr Musk sparked political turmoil in the Republican camp recently after he vowed to “go to war” to defend the H-1B visa programme.
“I always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country. We need competent people. We need smart people coming into our country. We need a lot of people coming in. We’re going to have jobs like we’ve never had before,” Mr Trump said while talking to the media on New Year’s Eve.
BREAKING: Donald Trump aligns with Elon Musk in support of H1B Visa.
“We have to have the most competent people in our country. We need smart people coming into our country and we need a lot of people coming in.” pic.twitter.com/Cv3amxJjT0
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) January 1, 2025
Donald Trump has picked Elon Musk, along with Indian-American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Last week, Mr Musk argued that foreign workers were needed for tech companies like his SpaceX and Tesla.
“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 H-1B,” Musk wrote on X.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.