Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo: Patrick Pleul
Billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have come out in support of expanding visas for skilled foreign workers, causing a wave of outrage among the anti-immigration wing of the Republican Party. This position contradicts the agenda of Donald Trump’s far-right supporters, known as MAGA (Make America Great Again), The Guardian writes.
The cause of the conflict: immigration and H-1B visas
The scandal erupted after the appointment of Sriram Krishnan, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, as Trump’s artificial intelligence adviser. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and Trump supporter, accused Krishnan of supporting policies that “directly contradict” the MAGA agenda and criticised Musk for his position.
Musk, himself an immigrant from South Africa, has argued that the lack of highly skilled engineers is limiting US competitiveness.
“Do you want America to win or lose? If you force the best talent in the world to work for other countries, America WILL LOSE,” Musk said on social media platform X.
“The culture of mediocrity”: Ramaswamy’s view
Vivek Ramaswamy, Musk’s partner in the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency”, supported his position, criticising the “American culture of mediocrity”.
“For too long, American culture has worshipped mediocrity over excellence. If we ignore this, China will overtake us,” Ramaswamy said.
The far right’s response: conspiracy theories and accusations
MAGA activists, including Loomer, have accused Musk and Ramaswamy of promoting the “great replacement” – a conspiracy theory about the displacement of “native” Americans by immigrants.
“Tech billionaires do not have the right to rewrite our immigration policy so they can have unlimited workers from India and China,” Loomer said.
Even Nikki Haley, a former presidential candidate and Trump critic, defended American workers, saying that the US should invest in its own talent.
Trump between two camps
The situation is exacerbating a split in the Republican Party, which is shaping its migration agenda. Although Trump has previously restricted access to H-1B visas, he declared his openness to legal immigration of skilled workers during his last election campaign.
This conflict is likely to shape Trump’s future immigration policy and his relationship with key allies within the party.
