White House backs Trump’s “nuanced” H-1B stance, prioritising American workers while supporting foreign investment and specialised hiring. Photo: X.
The White House has doubled down on President Donald Trump’s stated priority of protecting American workers while keeping the country attractive to global investors, as the H-1B visa programme is facing renewed political scrutiny in the United States.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump remains committed to strengthening domestic employment and rebuilding core industries.
“The President does not support American workers being replaced… The President wants to see the American manufacturing industry revitalised better than ever before. That’s part of what he’s doing with his effective use of tariffs and cutting good trade deals around the world,” Leavitt told reporters.
Leavitt described Trump’s position on the H-1B system as “nuanced” and based on “common sense,” arguing that foreign investment often requires specialised labour in the early stages.
“If foreign companies are investing trillions of dollars in the United States of America and bringing in foreign workers to create niche products like batteries, he wants to see that at the beginning to get those manufacturing facilities and factories up and running. But ultimately, the President always wants to see American workers in those jobs,” she said.
According to Leavitt, Trump has also issued a direct message to multinational firms entering the US market.
“He’s told these foreign companies that are investing here, you better be hiring my people if you’re going to be doing business in the United States.”
In recent weeks, Trump has defended the visa programme, saying he “loves his conservative friends and MAGA” but believes the US economy still benefits from skilled foreign professionals.
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum on November 20, he responded to criticism from within his political base.
“You can’t come in, open a massive computer chip factory for billions and billions of dollars like is being done in Arizona, and think you’re gonna hire people off an unemployment line to run it. They’re gonna have to bring thousands of people with them, and I’m gonna welcome those people. This is MAGA,” Trump said at the event last week.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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