‘My poll numbers just went down’: Trump defends skilled immigration, breaking with MAGA base

President Donald Trump has a message for his MAGA base on immigration. And he knows they don’t want to hear it. The president on Wednesday again offered a defense of visas for high-skilled workers, arguing that Americans don’t have the knowhow to fill certain jobs. He pointed to the multi-billion dollar expansion of chip production in Arizona, saying the company — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company — will bring in thousands of workers, and that he will “welcome those people.” 00:02 02:00 Read More “I love my conservative friends. I love MAGA,” Trump said during remarks at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum at The Kennedy Center. “But this is MAGA, and those people are going to teach our people how to make computer chips, and in a short period of time, our people are going to be doing great.” The remarks represent Trump’s most pointed defense of his immigration positions to date, and show the president is aware he has work to do to bring along the hawks in his party. Nearly one year since his return to the White House, Trump’s insistence that legal immigration is not only tolerable but an economic necessity continues to roil hardliners on the right, who are at odds with the business and tech interests that Trump has long aligned himself with. “The people who are against us are really, really smart,” Trump said. “They’re unbelievable patriots, but they just don’t understand — our people have to be taught.” He added that companies that invest big money to create plants here need to “bring a lot of their people from their country to get that plant open, operating and working. I’m sorry. So my poll numbers just went down, but with smart people, they’ve gone way up.” Trump’s statement is unlikely to quell the MAGA anger, which has bubbled up every few months since the president was elected. Many saw in the president someone who would fight to curtail nearly all immigration, sparked by concerns over job losses or, more controversially, racially tinged fears about Americans being replaced by foreigners. Trump reignited the debate earlier this month when he said on Fox News that Americans don’t have “certain talents” to fill jobs, in response to Laura Ingraham, who had pushed him on his stance on visas for high-skilled workers, known as H-1Bs. And even as the White House and much of the Trump base was consumed with the vote to release the Epstein files this week, frustration among key Trump allies about the president’s comments simmered beneath the surface. With little hope that Congress can reach a solution on immigration, the president is in a quagmire of his own making. He is caught between those within his base and administration who want to overhaul the employment visa system and others who argue that the economy is dependent on low- and high-skilled immigrant labor, and that the country’s policies must reflect that reality. “You’ve got things like H-1Bs taking away jobs from Americans, that’s huge,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told POLITICO last week. She added that it’s a top issue for her constituents. Some Trump allies argue that the outrage is misplaced and point to the president’s September decision to charge a $100,000 fee for new applicants to receive a visa through the H1-B program, which allows workers such as engineers and computer programmers to temporarily work in the United States. The move was designed to reduce the number of visas used by U.S. companies. The administration earlier this month also announced new probes into H-1B abuse. The White House has argued that Trump has done more than past presidents to prioritize American workers by tightening immigration laws, including by issuing new guidance to ensure unauthorized immigrants are not allowed access to federal workforce development resources and grants and changes to the U.S. citizenship test. “Under the President’s bold leadership, all employment gains have gone exclusively to American-born workers; critical and long-overdue reforms are being made to the H-1B visa process; America’s manufacturing industry is being reshored through powerful tariffs and trade deals; and illegal immigrants are no longer stealing taxpayer-funded benefits,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. Trump’s comments on Wednesday aren’t the only time he’s unveiled a soft spot in his otherwise hardline immigration stance. He spurred MAGA blowback in June, when he promised a solution for farmers who rely on undocumented labor, which immigration hawks slammed as a slippery slope. And after vowing to aggressively revoke Chinese student visas earlier this year, the president reversed course, announcing he would allow 600,000 Chinese students to attend U.S. universities. Trump’s Kennedy Center comments are at odds with immigration hawks and senior policymakers in his administration who insist the program needs to be overhauled. “If you reform ‘x,’ but keep ‘y’ part of the system, it won’t matter either way,” said Kevin Lynn, a fellow at the right-leaning Institute for Sound Public Policy think tank in Washington who leads an effort advocating on behalf of U.S. tech workers. “The H1-B visa system is not being abused, it’s working exactly as designed to to displace American workers and prevent recourse.” It also appears that Trump’s message is at odds with Vice President JD Vance who, in a separate interview with Fox News last week, said that the U.S. should use technology to “empower the blue-collar workers rather than replace them with foreign labor.” Trump’s break with his base reflects his desire to increase investments in the tech and manufacturing sectors, which the president does not believe would be possible — in the short term — without foreign workers. Watch: The Conversation Play Video34:26 Seth Moulton on his Senate bid, Venezuela and the Epstein files | The Conversation The president also has close ties to the tech industry, a top user of the H-1B program. During the last fiscal year, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google relied most on H-1B visas. Those companies have contributed handsomely to Trump efforts including his inaugural fund and the $300 million ballroom that will replace the White House East Wing. “You saw the list … they’re all on there, and they all want their H-1B workers,” said a person close to the administration, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. “So he’s hearing about this from all of those folks.” Trump’s defense of foreign workers has some fearing that it will kill the already slim chance for Congress to pass immigration reform. Still, some lawmakers have moved ahead with legislation to overhaul a system they say is increasingly harming American college graduates. “I tend to be on the skeptical side of that program,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told POLITICO, adding that the president’s $100,000 fee for H-1B applicants is a “good idea.” “In general we want to do everything we can to promote American workers and get as many Americans into jobs, get wages up,” he said. “I tend to view all of our visa policies through that lens.” Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced a bill in September which would restructure the lottery system for H1-B visas and direct DHS to eliminate the Optional Practical Training program, which advocates say has allowed companies to hire foreign-born workers without having to pay the government taxes for their work under the auspices of continuing their education. Other H-1B legislation is expected in the coming weeks and months, though it’s unclear if there will be an appetite without buy-in from the White House. “There’s a political imperative after the GOP got their heads handed to them,” said Mark Krikorian, director of the Center for Immigration Studies think tank in Washington, which favors restrictions on legal immigration. “There’s a real election in a year, and lots of messaging from Labor and DHS about protecting American workers. But action is needed.” For more information, visit us at https://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/.