Overview
- In a Fox News interview, President Trump said the U.S. lacks “certain talents” and must “bring in talent,” also warning that cutting foreign students would damage U.S. colleges.
- His comments contrast with current policy moves such as a $100,000 H‑1B application fee, thousands of visa revocations and tougher vetting, and the Labor Department’s Project Firewall investigations.
- MAGA-aligned figures voiced anger online, with Anthony Sabatini, Mike Cernovich and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizing reliance on H‑1B workers and framing it as a departure from America First.
- Trump pointed to the September ICE raid at a Hyundai–LG Energy battery plant in Georgia, where hundreds of South Korean contractors were detained, arguing specialized manufacturing needs foreign expertise.
- Business and academic pushback persists, including a U.S. Chamber of Commerce lawsuit over the H‑1B fee and Harvard’s challenge over foreign-student admissions, alongside diplomatic strain with South Korea.