Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
US president-elect Donald Trump endorses H-1B visa programme in recent video statement.
Fact
Video dates back to June 2024, well before the recent row that has split the Republican camp into two sides, pitting business figures such as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy against immigration hardliners. Trump appears to support Musk and Ramaswamy in the current debate, which contradicts his earlier anti-H-1B stance.
A 1-minute 40-second video, purportedly showing a virtual panel discussion involving US president-elect Donald Trump, has gone viral on social media with the claim that Trump has completely endorsed the H-1B visa programme, which grants temporary work permits to foreign professionals in specialised fields, amid the ongoing debate.
“President elect #Trump expressed support for H-1B visas, calling the program ‘great’ during an interview with the New York Post. He acknowledged using H-1B visas extensively at his properties and stated he has always been a proponent of the program,” read an X post, sharing the video.
The archived version of the post can be seen here.
What Is The Recent Row Over H-1B Visas?
The controversy was reportedly set off last week by far-right activists who criticised Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American venture capitalist, to be an adviser on artificial intelligence, saying he would have influence on the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Days before Trump’s presidential inauguration on January 20, Tesla’s Elon Musk and Trump’s MAGA followers got into a heated debate about the H-1B visa programme, which permits American businesses to employ foreign workers for key positions. While immigration hardliners like Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer have resisted expanding the programme, denouncing it as detrimental to American workers and principles, Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom Trump nominated as co-leads of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have firmly supported it, calling for expanding the H-1B visa program to meet worker shortages.
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “All In Donald Trump panel discussion,” considering the watermark reading “All In”, which led us to this June 21, 2024 X post, sharing the same video and which predates the recent row and Trump’s election victory in November 2024.
The Youtube video of the entire 01:20:34 interview with Donald Trump, uploaded by the All-In Podcast’s official channel on June 21, 2024, can be seen here, where the president-elect talks about a range of topics. The interview, #Episode184, is also available on the podcast’s official website, hosted by venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David O Sacks, and David Friedberg, which features insider takes on business, technology, and society.
We found that the viral excerpt is from Trump’s response to American Internet entrepreneur Jason Calacanis’ point, seen at the 43:40 mark as part of the discussion on the border and immigration issue, where Calacanis says: “The more important thing is we need more high-skilled workers in this country, we need to recruit the best and brightest in the world…we can get these great people into our country and an advantage over our adversaries…Would you promise to give us more ability to import the best and brightest into America,” to which Trump agrees, a distinct and interesting shift from his criticism of the H-1B visa programme in the past.
An Economic Times report on the interview, dated June 21, 2024, stating that Trump has diverged from his anti-immigrant stance, proposing automatic green cards for foreign students graduating from US colleges, can be seen here.
Trump’s Changing Stance on H-1B Visas
Trump had spoken out against H-1B visas in 2016, saying during the presidential election campaign that the programme was “very bad for workers” and stressed that “we should end it.” During his first administration, the H-1B visa programme was restricted in 2020 over concerns it allowed employers to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign workers.
However, Trump reportedly told the New York Post on Saturday (December 28), a day after key supporter Musk vowed to go to war over the “issue,” that he supports immigration visas for the highly skilled workers, appearing to side with Musk in the current intra-MAGA debate.
“I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favour 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,” Trump reportedly said by phone to the Post, a surprising volte-face by the man, who once vowed to end the “abuse” of foreign worker programmes, which had left both his supporters and critics scratching their heads while sparking an identity crisis in the Republican camp.
“Adding to the confusion is Trump’s own inconsistent stance on immigration. While his first administration imposed significant restrictions on H-1B visas, his recent statements have signalled a softer approach. During a podcast interview earlier this year, Trump expressed support for granting green cards to foreign graduates of US universities. This shift has left many in his base uncertain about the future direction of his immigration policies,” read an NDTV report, dated December 28, 2024 on the cracks in the MAGA camp that pitted Elon Musk against die-hard Trump supporters on the subject of Indian immigrants
Further, Trump on Tuesday stated that he has not changed his new stance on H-1B visas, stressing the need for skilled workers in the nation, making these remarks at his Mar-a-Lago resort on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, Musk has softened his position, suggesting that the H-1B visa system requires substantial reforms.
“While his plans to crackdown on illegal immigration have broad support across the right, Trump will have to walk a tightrope on legal immigration following his inauguration on January 20 if he is to avoid alienating a powerful section of his supporters. Losing either major business supporters, like Musk and Ramaswamy, or a section of his base would be a major blow to the president elect,” read a Newsweek report, dated January 1, 2025, which added that supporters were disappointed by Trump’s “flip-flops” on the issue.
Also Read: Are These Scenes From A Christian Procession In Punjab?
Conclusion
Old video of Donald Trump expressing support for granting green cards to foreign graduates of US universities shared as his recent comments on the H-1B debate.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
X post, The All-In Podcast, June 21, 2024
Youtube video, All-In Podcast, June 21, 2024
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
