We haven’t even hit Inauguration Day yet, and Republicans are already feuding. The issue this time around is immigration.
As you may recall, the president-elect made quite a fuss over immigration this past election cycle on the stump and in his ads. Trump was playing the hits that the base loves so much, you know the tunes: Rapists and murderers are flowing over the border at breakneck speed to steal your jobs and put fentanyl in the drinking water, etc.
So you can imagine the consternation of loyal GOP voters, when co-CEO and erstwhile Trump spokesman Elon Musk came out in favor on expanding immigration through the H-1B visa program and was quickly backed up by Trump himself.
A little background: The H-1B visa is a tool widely used in the tech world to bring immigrants with special skill sets — think computer scientists and software engineer — to America. Musk is an enthusiastic supporter of the program, and I’m in the rare and awkward position of agreeing with him. The H-1B has been used over the years to bring uniquely talented immigrants to this country to ply their trades and drive innovation, and not just in Silicon Valley. There isn’t a single STEM field that hasn’t benefited from H-1B holders bringing their knowledge to our shores. GOP critics say that H-1B visas run contrary to Trump’s America First policy, that importing foreign workers hurts the market for homegrown talent, and they’re big mad about it.
Trump has chosen to back Musk on the issue because of course he did. In Trump World, where everything is a transaction, he’s more than happy to give Elon what he wants; the two are locked in a weird symbiotic relationship in which Musk needs Trump for the access to government power that allows him to advance his interests and Trump needs Musk for his big fat wallet. I’m not sure what kind of influence the platform formerly known as Twitter has left, but the hundreds of millions of dollars Musk can provide Republicans in the midterms speaks loud enough for Trump to defy the rank and file.
Will Trump’s willingness to embrace the H-1B trigger a conservative civil war, as some on the right have suggested? Of course not. The outrage cycle will run its course in a few weeks, Trump will inevitably rev up the xenophobic rhetoric for the fans, and behind the scenes Elon will get what he wants.
Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.
