Trump backs H-1B visas amid ‘America First’ backlash: ‘I love MAGA, but…’

What did Donald Trump say about H-1B visas

Trump, speaking in Washington, said “They just don’t understand,” referring to his MAGA base. The President has butted heads with his loyal followers recently, since they believe that Trump should have an ‘America First’ approach.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, longtime Trump ally, who had a falling out amid her push to make the Epstein files public has leaned into the ‘America First, America Only’ sentiment even as the President has withdrawn his endorsement of the Georgia lawmaker.

Trump, however, tried to explain where H-1B workers fit into his MAGA vision. “People have to be taught this is something they’ve never done. But we’re not going to be successful if we don’t allow people that invest billions of dollars in plants and equipment to bring a lot of their people from their country to get that plant open, operating and working. I’m sorry,” Trump said.

He added, “But you’re building plants that make things that are very, very detailed. And you have to have great knowledge. And you’re coming here and you find if we don’t have people that did that before, we are allowing you, and I may take a little heat, I always take a heat from my people, the people that love me and the people I love. They happen to be toward the right of center, toward the rights, sometimes they’re way right.”

“But if you have to bring people to get those plants open, we want you to do that and we want those people to teach our people how to make computer chips and how to make other things,” the president further added.

He then went on to explain one couldn’t open up a ‘massive computer chip factory’ and then hire ‘people off the unemployment line to run it’. “You can’t come in, and I’m explaining, you can’t come in, open up a massive computer chip factory for billions and billions of dollars like is being done in Arizona and think you’re gonna hire people off an unemployment line to run it. They’re gonna have to bring thousands of people with them and I am gonna welcome those people,” the president stated.

Addressing his base, Trump continued, that he loved his ‘conservative friends’.

“I love MAGA, but this is MAGA,” the president asserted to his base. “And those people are going to teach our people how to make computer chips, and in a short period of time, our people are gonna be doing great, and those people can go home…” he continued.

Trump’s statements come after the President announced hiking the application fees to $100,000. H-1B visas are intended to bring the best and brightest foreigners for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find difficult to fill with qualified US citizens and permanent residents.

(With AP inputs)