Donald Trump's Change on H-1B Visas Leaves MAGA Aghast: 'Breaking My Heart'

Some Donald Trump supporters have expressed their disappointment on social media after the President-elect spoke out in defense of H-1B skilled migrant visas on Tuesday.

Speaking to a reporter at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Trump said in remarks broadcast by Fox News: "We need competent people, we need smart people coming in to our country."

Newsweek contacted Donald Trump's presidential transition team for comment via email on Wednesday outside of regular office hours.

Why It Matters

At the end of December a bitter row broke out within Trump's MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement over H-1B visas, pitting business figures such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy who believe they boost the U.S. economy against more nativist elements who think they harm American workers. And, speaking to The New York Post on December 28 Trump defended H-1B visas.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrives on New Year's Eve at his Mar-a-Lago Club on December 31, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump has angered some of his supporters online by speaking out in support of... Eva Marie Uzcategui/GETTY

What To Know

Trump was elected for a second White House term on a platform that included the mass deportation of illegal migrants from the U.S. and enhanced border security. During his first term in June 2020 Trump signed an executive order freezing new H-1B visas for professional and technology workers which his team said was a response to rising unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday at a New Year's Eve party he hosted at Mar-a-Lago a reporter asked Trump "why did you change your mind on H-1B visas?"

The President-elect replied: "I didn't change my mind I've always felt we have to have the most competent people in our country. We need competent people, we need smart people coming in to our country, we need a lot of people coming in. We're going to have jobs like we've never had before."

A clip of the exchange, first broadcast by Fox News, was shared on X by Eric Daugherty, assistant news director of conservative leaning publication Florida's Voice, where it received more than 695,000 views.

Responding to Daugherty's post an X user from Wisconsin, who described herself as a Trump supporter, said: "Trump is flip-flopping on this issue...And it is breaking my heart...."

Another X user, who said they back Trump's MAGA movement, wrote: "So is it going to be MANGA. Make America Not Great Again?"

X user 'LadyPatriot,' a self-described "MAGA Patriot" with 21,400 followers on the platform, argued Trump had changed his mind over H-1B visas. Responding to Daugherty she wrote: "He did. He use to be against it. We don't need more immigrants. We need to better educate Americans."

What People Are Saying

In an X post Yahoo Finance reporter Jordan Weissmann shared a table showing the foreign born workforce in Silicon Valley's IT industry. He wrote: "If you want to understand why the H1B debate is so fierce, this is a helpful table...By 2014, about 70% of the Silicon Valley tech workforce was foreign born; 41% were noncitizens. The entire ecosystem runs on international talent."

Immigration attorney Paul Herzog wrote: "The whole debate over H-1Bs and legal immigration confirms that most people have no idea how our legal immigration system works, or how they economy works-and they're not interested in finding out."

Trump told the New York Post on December 28: "I've always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas … I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It's a great program."

What Happens Next

While his plans to crackdown on illegal immigration have broad support across the right, Trump will have to walk a tightrope on legal immigration following his inauguration on January 20 if he is to avoid alienating a powerful section of his supporters.

Losing either major business supporters, like Musk and Ramaswamy, or a section of his base would be a major blow to the president elect.