MAGA Civil War Erupts as Trump Backers Turn on Vivek Ramaswamy Over H-1Bs

What's New

The MAGA universe has been riven by an ongoing online debate over the H-1B visa program in the U.S.

Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump have taken aim, in particular, at Vivek Ramaswamy, the one-time GOP presidential hopeful and incoming co-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The Context

Ramaswamy drew backlash from Trump and self-declared MAGA voters on Thursday when he voiced his support for bringing "highly skilled" workers from other countries, including his native India, into the U.S. via the H-1B program, which focuses on foreign workers in specialized occupations.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump listens as former candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at a campaign event in Atkinson, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. The MAGA universe has erupted into a civil war over... Matt Rourke/AP

"The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans isn't because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation)," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. "A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we're really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH: Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long (at least since the 90s and likely longer). That doesn't start in college, it starts YOUNG."

He added: "A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers ... If you grow up aspiring to normalcy, normalcy is what you will achieve."

Ramaswamy went on to say he hopes "our culture fully wakes up. A culture that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness."

What To Know

Ramaswamy's lengthy social media screed drew immediate blowback from Trump supporters who back the president-elect's hardline immigration stance, as well as some more unlikely critics.

Among those was former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who cast herself as a moderate Republican when she launched a primary campaign against Trump in the 2024 presidential cycle.

Haley didn't mince words when responding to Ramaswamy's X post on Thursday, writing: "There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers."

Mike Cernovich, a longtime right-wing media personality and provocateur, also chimed in.

"The Woodstock generation managed to build out aerospace, the one before went to the moon, America was doing great," he wrote in a reply to Ramaswamy. "Underlying your post is that we were all living in squalor until being rescued by H-1B's. Then why did everyone want to come here?"

Ramaswamy responded: "That version of America, the one that used to embody unbridled exceptionalism, is exactly what we want to return to. That's a point about culture, not immigration policy."

Others on the right have also voiced support for restricting foreign workers from entering the country.

"Why would America recruit foreign talent rather than recruit own on talent right here at home?" the prominent right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec wrote on X Tuesday. "Imagine how many more JD Vances are out there."

What People Are Saying

Laura Loomer, far-right firebrand and staunch Trump loyalist, went on a racist tirade about H-1B policies after Trump tapped Sriram Krishnan as White House senior policy adviser for AI: ".@VivekGRamaswamy knows that the Great Replacement is real. So does@JDVance. It's not racist against Indians to want the original MAGA policies I voted for. I voted for a reduction in H1B visas. Not an extension."

Billionaire Mark Cuban wrote in response to Ramaswamy's post: "How do you feel about people who say 'college is over rated ?' In order to have more homegrown engineers, don't we need more kids going to college ?"

What Comes Next

Many immigrants have voiced concerns about the second Trump administration and whether the president-elect will try to restrict H-1B visa program like he did at the end of his first term.

Trump, as well as many of his anti-immigration allies, have previously said they would work to make cuts to the program.