NYP report claims Trump backs H-1B visas for ‘highly skilled workers’

A New York Post report has said that President-elect Donald Trump is in support of H-1B visas for "highly skilled workers" weeks before he is set to take office. This comes as debate about the program has become a national conversation.  

According to the New York Post, Trump was asked about H-1B visas, a program that allows for skilled foreign workers to come to the United States. The Post reported that Trump "supports immigration visas for highly skilled workers."  

Trump reportedly told the outlet, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them." 

“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” he added in his apparent comments to reporters.  

The issue came up Christmas week after Trump nominated Sriram Krishnan as a senior policy advisor to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He is set to work with incoming AI czar David Sacks and concerns were raised by tech moguls about the lack of highly-skilled workers in that sector.  

Elon Musk, whose Tesla brought in over 700 H-1B workers in 2024, said the US needed "double" the 85,000 allotment. This led MAGA pundits to suggest that Musk and others in tech train and hire Americans for this work instead. An argument ensued over the value of American versus foreign labor. 

The report from the New York Post suggests that Trump may be in agreement with Musk and Ramaswamy, however policy for the program is uncertain going into his second term.