3:07Donald Trump affixes his signature to an executive directive in the Oval Office, situated in the White House on September 19, 2025, Washington, DC.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Donald Trump is experiencing criticism from a selection of the most prominent pro-Trump figures in response to recent remarks supporting H-1B visas and asserting the United States lacks individuals with “specific capabilities” to fulfill job positions, the newest censure originating from the far-right segments of his MAGA support base.
The president voiced the statements during an exchange with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, aired on Tuesday evening, where she questioned the president about his intentions regarding H-1B visas, which enable enterprises to recruit proficient foreign professionals in specialized areas, with Ingraham implying that the initiative could impede endeavors to elevate earnings for American workers.
Trump countered Ingraham’s postulation, declaring, “Well, I concur, but you also need to import proficiency when a country –"
When Ingraham interrupted, “Well, we possess an abundance of talented individuals domestically,” the president responded, “No, that’s incorrect. You lack specific talents, and individuals must acquire them.”
Trump’s utterances have instigated widespread indignation from distinguished voices on the right, spanning from well-known MAGA advocate Jack Posobiec to Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Trump advocate and former “Hercules” actor from the 1990s, Kevin Sorbo.
“What a deplorable remark. This will cost republicans the midterms,” Sorbo communicated in an X post.
Leading pro-Trump podcaster Benny Johnson reacted to Trump’s assertions by disseminating a post from Charlie Kirk on X, composed some weeks prior to his passing, in which Kirk advocated for halting “the H-1B deception.” Johnson included that he would persist in opposing the issue.
Concurrently, Kylie Kremer, a devoted Trump supporter instrumental in organizing the assembly preceding the Jan. 6 insurrection, responded with, “Where is my President?” and Steven Crowder, another favored right-leaning podcaster, labeled Trump’s utterances “as negative as conceivable.”
“Was anticipating he would learn from Elon’s misstep on this matter, but it doesn’t appear so,” he appended.
Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House on September 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
In an attempt to stem the fragmentation within the pro-Trump alliance, Steve Bannon, Trump’s long-standing advisor and former White House chief strategist, utilized his well-known “War Room” program on Wednesday morning to mitigate the repercussions.
“Trump isn’t flawless; he embodies an imperfect tool,” Bannon informed his viewership, further articulating that Trump was "imbued by divine intervention."
“Without him, we possess nothing. Hence, remain attentive. This constitutes a critical situation; we are executing a crucial mission. Don’t divert from the objective,” Bannon elaborated.
However, the negative response signifies the most recent controversy the president has encountered from his dedicated adherents since reassuming office. It follows a parallel furor that engulfed the initial phases of his presidential transition post the 2024 election, when H-1B visas once more became a contentious point.
The far-right wing of Trump’s foundation has firmly opposed the program as integral to their endeavor to curtail not only unlawful but also lawful immigration.
This endeavor culminated last December — among the earliest internal disputes of Trump’s resurgence to power — when considerable discontent surfaced on the right among the technology faction of the MAGA movement, figures like Elon Musk and David Sacks, who contend that H-1B visas contribute to attracting qualified personnel for their corporations, and far-right influencers such as Laura Loomer, who rebuked them for not being adequately “America First.”
Amidst that reaction the preceding year, Trump endorsed the program in an exchange with The New York Post, affirming, “I’ve always been partial to the visas, I have consistently championed the visas. That’s why we maintain them.”
“I engage numerous H-1B visas on my premises. I have consistently believed in H-1B. I have employed it extensively. It’s a beneficial program,” Trump stated further.
Nevertheless, the president had formerly been critical of the initiative, notably during his 2016 campaign, at which time, throughout a GOP primary debate, Trump denounced it as “very adverse” and “inequitable” for U.S. laborers, while conceding that he employs it within his enterprises.
“Initially, I believe and am well-versed in the H-1B. And it is a matter that I, frankly, utilize, and I should not be authorized to employ it. We should not possess it,” he conveyed. “Secondly, I consider it imperative to emphasize, well, I am a businessperson, and I must undertake what is necessary.”
In September, Trump restricted the program by ratifying a proclamation enforcing a $100,000 imposition on enterprises endeavoring to secure the visa. Specialists propose that the action will impede the capacity of tech firms to broaden U.S. activities or motivate exceptionally talented foreign workers to select America as the venue where they commence their subsequent significant concept, ABC News previously communicated.
The H1-B visa program was formulated as a component of the 1990 immigration measure and enabled prospective foreign employees possessing college and graduate credentials in specific sectors, for example, computer science and engineering.
Several principal tech CEOs — involving Microsoft's Satya Nadella and Google's Sundar Pichai — are foreign-born and held H1-B visas upon completion of their college and graduate-level pursuits in America.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
