Trump backs Elon Musk in support of H-1B visas for foreign tech workers.
The comments follow social media posts from the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who vowed to "fight" to protect the program.
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On Saturday, Donald Trump sided with Elon Musk, a key supporter and billionaire tech CEO, in a public spat over the use of the H-1B visa, saying he fully supports the foreign tech worker program, which some of his supporters oppose. .
Trump's remarks follow a series of social media posts from Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, who vowed on Friday night to "fight" to protect the visa program for foreign tech workers.
Trump, who tried to limit visa use during his first term, told the New York Post on Saturday that he still favors the visa program.
"I have a lot of H-1B visas on my properties. I'm a fan of H-1B. "I've used it many times. It's a wonderful program," he was quoted as saying.
Musk, a naturalized American citizen born in South Africa, has been granted an H-1B visa, and his electric car company Tesla has been granted 724 such visas this year. H-1B visas typically last three years, although holders can extend them or apply for a green card.
The dispute was sparked earlier this week by far-right activists who criticized Trump's selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian-American venture capitalist, as an artificial intelligence adviser, saying he would influence policies of immigration. Elon Musk's tweet was aimed at Trump supporters and immigration extremists, who are increasingly calling for the cancellation of the H-1B visa program amid a heated debate over immigration and the place that skilled immigrants and foreign workers bring to the country on work visas.
On Friday, Steve Bannon, a Trump confidant, criticized "big tech oligarchs" for their support of the H-1B program and called immigration a threat to Western civilization.
In response, Musk and several other tech billionaires drew a line between what they consider legal immigration and illegal immigration.
Musk vs. Musk: Trump camp split in bitter fight over immigration policy
Trump has vowed to deport all immigrants who are in the United States illegally, impose tariffs to help create more jobs for American citizens and severely limit immigration.
The visa issue highlights how tech leaders like Musk — who played a key role in the presidential transition, advising on key personnel and policies — are now drawing the attention of their base. The U.S. tech industry relies on the government's H-1B visa program to hire skilled foreign workers to help run their companies, a workforce that critics say undercuts the wages of American citizens.
Elon Musk spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help Trump get elected in November. He has been regularly publishing articles this week about the lack of local talent to fill all the gaps
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