Trump Faces MAGA Base Backlash Over H-1B Visa Controversy Sparked by Musk and Ramaswamy

At a time when Donald Trump’s inner circle should be focusing on getting his Cabinet nominees ready for Senate approval, much of their energy is now being spent trying to mitigate a growing controversy over foreign workers. This issue has quickly become a flashpoint within Trump’s base, forcing the president-elect to weigh in.

The controversy centers on comments made by Trump advisors Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, who have advocated for increasing the number of H-1B foreign specialty workers in the U.S. This has sparked a conflict with Trump’s MAGA base, which had been promised “America First” policies that prioritize American workers over foreign labor.

Appearing on CNN early Sunday morning, longtime political observer Lynn Sweet highlighted the timing of the controversy, saying that it couldn’t have come at a worse moment. Sweet, a journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times, told host Amara Walker that the issue has forced Trump to take sides in a debate that is dividing his supporters.

“What we’re seeing here is a civil war being triggered by the unelected advisers to President Trump, so let’s just see where this goes,” Sweet explained. “Immigration is the most important issue to the MAGA base, and now the DOGE, you know, he appointed Musk and Ramaswamy to reform government, have waded into an area of making policy.”

Sweet continued by emphasizing the unnecessary division this issue is causing. “So not only is this a fight Trump did not need, it is needlessly dividing the base,” she said. “And on that point, you made of Trump defending what Musk is doing and saying he will fight to the death to expand or keep H-1B visas, so while it’s true that it seems that Trump is backing him, the reason he’s giving is incorrect.”

Sweet went on to explain that Trump’s defense of the H-1B visa issue is based on a misunderstanding of the types of workers involved. “Trump has said that I have many H-1B visas on my properties,” Sweet clarified. “Well, he is not referring to the highly skilled workers who qualify for those visas. But what Trump has used on his properties, including his vineyard and his other resorts, are workers who qualify for visas under their status as hospitality or agricultural workers.”

In Sweet’s view, Musk’s involvement further complicates the situation. “So in one swoop here, Musk has muddied the waters and created a problem he didn’t have to, and we’ll see if Trump will continue to tolerate this kind of trouble-making, unnecessary trouble-making,” she predicted.