【By Observer News, Liu Bai】
During an interview aired on November 11 local time, U.S. President Trump, for the first time, acknowledged the importance of bringing in talent to the United States.
When talking about the H-1B visa program, he refuted the host's view that "the U.S. has sufficient talent," and admitted that the U.S. lacks enough people with "specific skills" to do specific jobs, saying, "You can't just pick a jobless person and make him build a missile."
It is worth noting that during the interview, Trump also affirmed the importance of Chinese students. His softening stance on immigration policy has drawn attention from several American media outlets. After all, just a few months ago, he had imposed strict restrictions on H-1B visas, trying to reduce the number of such visas that U.S. companies could obtain, but now he spoke about the importance of this specialized skill visa.
His latest comments immediately caused outrage among the MAGA camp, with many accusing Trump of "betrayal," calling the interview a "disaster" scene, and others even urging Trump to fire those advisors who made him say "stupid things" right away.
Trump interviewed by Fox News host Laura Ingraham
Trump Softens Stance
The H-1B visa was established in 1990, and it is the main category of work visa in the United States, aimed at allowing U.S. companies to hire foreign employees with skills in professional fields.
However, there are differences of opinion within the MAGA camp regarding this visa. On one hand, business magnates like Musk believe it is crucial for the U.S. technological leadership, while on the other hand, some worry that American workers might be replaced by foreign laborers.
Laura Ingraham, a Fox News host, belongs to the latter group.
In the show, she mentioned that bringing in thousands of foreign workers would not help raise wages for American citizens.
"If you want to increase wages for American workers, you cannot allow tens of thousands of foreign workers to come in," Ingraham said.
"Well, I agree with you, but a country does need to bring in talent," Trump responded.
The host interjected, "But we have many talents here."
"No, we don't," Trump rebutted, "No, we lack certain skilled talents, people need to learn."
"You can't just pick someone from the unemployed and say, 'I'm going to send you to work in the factory.'"
"You can't say, a country invests $10 billion to build a factory, then pulls out the unemployed who haven't worked for five years to build missiles. It just doesn't work."
Trump also mentioned that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had raided the Hyundai Motor manufacturing complex in Georgia in September, arresting hundreds of workers from South Korea who were building a battery factory.
Soon after the raid, Hyundai's CEO Jose Munoz said that the ICE raid would delay the opening of the factory by two to three months. Hyundai had announced earlier this year that it would invest $26 billion in U.S. manufacturing.
Trump said that the ICE "raids" on the factory were to deport undocumented immigrants, but these workers "have been making batteries all their lives."
He said that making batteries is "a very complex job," "it's not easy, and it's dangerous, prone to explosions and accidents."
"There were about 500 to 600 people there, producing batteries and training others how to do it in the early stages of the battery plant. Then the government told them to leave the country. But actually, you need these people," he added.
Notably, in the same interview, Trump also affirmed the importance of Chinese students. He pointed out that foreign students, especially those from China, are essential to maintaining the financial stability of American universities.
Fox News and The Huffington Post both noted that Trump's latest statements contradict his position earlier this year.
The Time magazine also pointed out that Trump's tough stance on immigration policy seems to have changed. After all, just a few months ago, he had imposed strict restrictions on H-1B visas, trying to reduce the number of such visas that U.S. companies could obtain, but now he speaks about the importance of this specialized skill visa.
American Broadcasting Company (NBC) also described Trump's admission of the role of immigrants in economic growth and innovation as contradictory to his rhetoric during his administration, which has made life more difficult for many legal residents in the United States.
September 19, Washington D.C., Trump signed an executive order to significantly reform the H-1B visa program. IC Photo
MAGA Explodes: Disaster, Betrayal!
Newspaper Weekly bluntly stated that Trump's softening stance on immigration marks a major divergence from the MAGA movement that helped him win the White House twice.
On the social media platform X, MAGA prominent figures, conservative organization "American Turnaround" writer Savannah Hernandez criticized Trump's remarks as "disheartening."
She wrote, "Trump needs to step out of his own bubble and return to the people, listening to the voices of the American people who elected him to serve us." Hernandez said that Trump's remarks on H-1B visas "clearly show that he has become completely out of touch with his base."
Another MAGA content creator and commentator Matt Morse called this interview "a disaster for Trump."
He posted on X, "Those people in Trump's inner circle who are pushing him to increase H-1B visas, promote 50-year mortgages, and keep 600,000 Chinese students must be fired immediately! America First!"
Morse later added, "As one of the largest voices supporting Trump nationwide, I get millions of traffic each month promoting the 'America First' agenda."
"But tonight, Trump actually defended H-1B visas, saying Americans 'lack talent.' That's absurd and makes me furious!"
A self-proclaimed "American nationalist" MAGA Evan Kilgore directly accused it of betrayal.
"Donald Trump betrayed the American people for a few H-1B visa holders from India, and he's completely ruined."
The "Hodgetwins" account, run by conservative political twins Keith and Kevin Hodges, also posted on X, saying, "The best way for Trump to save MAGA now is to fire all those advisors who made him say stupid things!"
However, some people defended Trump.
For example, conservative commentator Scott Jennings said on a CNN panel discussion, "Of course you can pursue 'America First,' but you also need to realize that sometimes bringing in talent from other countries can make America stronger. We've done this for decades."
Previously, Trump was known for his hardline immigration policies, such as building the U.S.-Mexico border wall, implementing travel bans targeting multiple countries, pushing the "zero tolerance" policy leading to family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border, and drastically cutting refugee admissions.
In the U.S. government's fiscal year 2024, nearly 400,000 H-1B visas were approved, double the number in fiscal year 2020. Tech industry leaders like Musk have expressed strong support for these visas, believing they can attract the best and brightest talent to work for American companies.
However, the White House updated its policy in September, requiring new H-1B visa applicants to pay a $100,000 fee, aiming to encourage companies to prioritize hiring American workers. Those who already hold visas are not required to pay the fee.
This move shocked the tech industry, which heavily relies on foreign talent, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce even sued the federal government.
Commerce Secretary Rutledge argued at the time that issuing large numbers of these visas was economically inefficient for the U.S.
"If you want to train talent, you should train Americans," Rutledge told reporters. "If you have a very talented engineer and you want to bring him in... then you pay $100,000 per year for the H-1B visa."
Economists have warned that Trump's tightening immigration policies could result in a negative net migration, which could severely damage the U.S. labor market and weaken American families' purchasing power, both of which could slow down the U.S. GDP growth.
A study released last month by the American Immigration Policy Foundation found that Trump's immigration policies could reduce the U.S. workforce by about 15.7 million over the next decade and lead to a reduction in GDP growth by about one-third.
This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer News, and any reproduction without permission is prohibited.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7572034463660524047/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author and welcomes your opinion by clicking on the [Top/Down] buttons below.