The MAGA movement, long united under its ‘America First’ banner, is facing a deepening schism as an intense online battle over the H-1B visa program enfulfs its ranks.
The program, which allows U.S. companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers, has become a lightning rod for controversy within President-elect Donald Trump’s ranks.
At the heart of the storm is Vivek Ramaswamy, a former GOP presidential hopeful and Trump appointee, whose outspoken defense of the program has triggered backlash from MAGA loyalists and high-profile Republicans alike.
Ramaswamy, who was recently named co-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), ignited the controversy with a provocative post on X.
In his message, he voiced strong support for bringing ‘highly skilled’ foreign workers to the U.S., even as MAGA voters and Trump himself have championed stricter immigration policies.
‘The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over ‘native’ Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation),’ Ramaswamy wrote.
‘A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH: Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.’
He further criticized the nation’s cultural priorities, stating that a society celebrating ‘the prom queen over the math olympiad champ’ and ‘the jock over the valedictorian’ would inevitably fail to produce the world’s best engineers.
Ramaswamy bizarrely blamed a series of 1990s TV sitcoms for what he saw as a decline in America’s lead in the fields of science and tech.
Vivek Ramaswamy , a former GOP presidential hopeful and Trump appointee, has been outspoken in his defense of the H-1B visa program which allows U.S. companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers
Ramaswamy ignited the controversy with a lengthy and provocative post on X
Ramaswamy was recently named co-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside Elon Musk
‘A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian – a culture that venerates Cory from Boy Meets World or Zach & Slater over Screech in Saved by the Bell, or ‘Stefan’ over Steve Urkel in Family Matters will not produce the best engineers,’ he noted.
‘If you grow up aspiring to normalcy, normalcy is what you will achieve.’
Ramaswamy went on to say he hopes ‘our culture fully wakes up. A culture that once again prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness.’
Ramaswamy’s remarks did not go unnoticed by Trump or his ardent base.
His call for a cultural renaissance – one that prioritizes ‘excellence over mediocrity’ – set off a firestorm.
While the president-elect has yet to issue a direct response, his supporters and MAGA-aligned figures have not held back.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who positioned herself as a moderate during the 2024 Republican primaries, offered a biting response.
‘There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture,’ Haley declared.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who positioned herself as a moderate during the 2024 Republican primaries, offered a biting response
Nikki Haley cast herself as a moderate Republican when she launched a primary campaign against Trump in the 2024 presidential cycle
Ramaswamy’s post and subsequent follow-ups drew immediate criticism from Trump supporters who back the president-elect’s hardline immigration stance
Musk is the incoming co-chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) working alongside Vivek Ramaswamy
‘All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers.’
Right-wing provocateur Mike Cernovich also weighed in, lambasting Ramaswamy’s comments as dismissive of America’s storied history of innovation.
‘The Woodstock generation managed to build out aerospace, the one before went to the moon,’ he wrote.
‘Underlying your post is that we were all living in squalor until being rescued by H-1B’s. Then why did everyone want to come here?’
Ramaswamy responded: ‘That version of America, the one that used to embody unbridled exceptionalism, is exactly what we want to return to. That’s a point about culture, not immigration policy.’
Even MAGA influencers like Jack Posobiec joined the fray, questioning why America would seek foreign workers instead of nurturing domestic talent.
‘Imagine how many more JD Vances are out there,’ Posobiec argued, referencing the MAGA-aligned senator known for his rags-to-riches story.
Far-right commentator Laura Loomer took an even harsher stance, accusing Ramaswamy of undermining MAGA’s original agenda.
Trump allies Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy say Big Tech needs foreign workers because there aren’t enough ‘motivated’ Americans to fill the jobs
MAGA influencers like Jack Posobiec joined the fray, questioning why America would seek foreign talent instead of nurturing domestic talent
Far-right commentator Laura Loomer, pictured, took an even harsher stance
Loomer accused Ramaswamy of undermining MAGA’s original agenda
Her incendiary post referred to the H-1B visa program as part of a ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory, highlighting growing fears within Trump’s base about the erosion of traditional American identity.
It comes just days after Loomer slammed Trump’s decision to appoint a ‘career leftist’ who contradicts the ‘America First’ policy as a senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence.
She described Sriram Krishnan’s appointment as ‘deeply disturbing’ due to his stance on green card allocations, opening the floodgates for a wave of criticism from within the MAGA fold.
White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks came to Krishnan’s defense, arguing he simply wants to remove country caps.
‘Right now, every country in the world gets allocated the same number of green cards, no matter how many qualified applicants it has. So applicants from India have an 11 year wait whereas applicants from many other countries have no wait at all,’ he said.
‘Supporting a limited number of highly skilled immigrants is still a prevalent view on the right. Sriram is definitely not a ”career leftist”.’
Elon Musk responded to Sacks’ comments, agreeing they ‘make sense.’
The debate has underscored some of the broader anxieties about the direction of Trump’s second term.
During his first administration, Trump made significant cuts to the H-1B visa program, a move applauded by his anti-immigration allies, but his current stance remains unclear, leaving immigrant communities and tech industry leaders bracing for potential shifts in policy.
Critics warn that rolling back the program could harm U.S. competitiveness, particularly in sectors like technology and healthcare.
However, MAGA supporters argue that limiting foreign labor would force companies to invest in training American workers.
