President-elect Donald Trump greets Elon Musk before attending a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., on Nov. 19, 2024.
Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS
Tasha Kheiriddin
Dec 29, 2024
G-ZERO
Is Elon Musk a 21st-century Svengali? Two weeks after being accused of acting like the president – instead of a presidential advisor – when he attempted to sway Congress to torpedo a spending bill, the tech magnate is wielding political influence once again – and enraging some supporters of President-elect Donald Trump.
At issue: the H-1B Visa program, which Musk says is crucial to attracting foreign tech talent, but which many Republicans claim takes jobs away from Americans. Last Friday, Musk and fellow Department of Government Efficiency head Vivek Ramaswamyfeuded publicly with GOP firebrand Laura Loomer, who posted to X Thursday, “Donald Trump promised to remove the H1B visa program and I support his policy.”
On Friday, Musk posted that “hateful unrepentant racists” – a swipe at MAGA anti-immigrant Republicans – must be removed from the Republican Party “root and stem.” The next day, Trump seemed to toe Musk’s line: Despite having previously criticized the H-1B program as “very bad” and “unfair” for US workers, Trump told the New York Post, “I’ve always liked the visas. I have always been in favor of the visas.” Hmm.
But it’s not clear just whose team Musk is playing for. While telling racists to leave the GOP and praising the contribution of foreign workers in the US, Musk declared his support for Germany’s far-right anti-immigrant party, Alternative for Germany, aka AfD, ahead of Deutchland’s February elections. Three state chapters of the AfD in the former communist East are classified as extremist – and are under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service.
But the contradictions don’t seem to bother Trump. “Where are you?” Trump posted on his Truth Social account Friday morning, entreating Musk to visit him and Bill Gates at Mar-a-Lago, aka “the center of the universe.”
Loomer apologizes for doxxing AI adviser Krishnan after Trump backs H-1B visa program
Laura Loomer apologized for sharing Sriram Krishnan's personal information after Trump supported the H-1B program. Sriram Krishnan's immigration views contrast with Loomer's.
Laura Loomer
India Today Global Desk
Dec 30, 2024 0
In Short
Loomer criticised Krishnan's loyalty to Trump.
Musk and Ramaswamy defended H-1B program.
The MAGA vs MAGA conflict has paused for now, with far-right activist Laura Loomer apologizing for having publicly shared Indian-American entrepreneur and Trump's nominee for senior policy advisor on artificial intelligence Sriram Krishnan’s personal information. Krishnan is known for his immigration views and stance on H-1B visa policy, which is in direct contrast to Loomer’s.
The apology came after US President-elect Donald Trump expressed his support for the H-1B program in a reversal of his earlier stance.
In an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, Trump praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the US. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said.
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” Trump told the newspaper.
Trump has, in the past, criticized the H-1B visas, calling them “very bad” and “unfair” for US workers. During his first term as President, he unveiled a “Hire American” policy that directed changes to the program to try to ensure the visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.
Loomer apology
Announcing the apology on social media platform X, Loomer wrote: "I deeply apologize for accidentally doxxing Sriram @sriramk by sharing public FEC records with his personal info. It was an honest mistake, and I take full responsibility. I've removed the post and I promise that I will be more careful in the future when I post FEC records.
“I was posting FEC records which are public information. I was not trying to inflict harm on anyone, & if @sriramk felt as though I was trying to “doxx” him, I sincerely apologize for that. I promise I wasn’t doxxing & I believe more speech is the answer. Not less. @elonmusk," she said in another X post.
Loomer has openly criticized Krishnan's appointment as AI advisor.
In a recent post on X, Loomer accused Krishnan of disloyalty to Trump, claiming that he donated to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign and didn’t vote for Trump in 2024. "Hey Sriram Krishnan, what is this? Why did you donate to Kamala Harris's presidential campaign less than one month before the 2024 Presidential election? You didn’t even vote for Trump... Now you want to infiltrate his admin?" Loomer's tweet said, sparking intense debate online. Her post accusing Krishnan of betrayal triggered widespread reactions from social media users, many questioning Krishnan’s loyalty to Trump. Some even called for his removal as Trump’s AI advisor.
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Controversy over H-1B program
The controversy erupted after Laura Loomer, a staunch immigration critic, lashed out at Trump’s decision to appoint Indian-origin tech executive Sriram Krishnan as his artificial intelligence advisor.
Loomer called the move “not America First policy,” drawing support from some conservative Republicans, including former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
Musk and his ally, Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have defended the tech industry’s reliance on H-1B workers.
“American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. “If we pretend like ‘normalcy’ cuts it, we’ll have our asses handed to us by China.”
The exchange highlighted a broader division within the Republican Party. Musk called out "hateful racists", warned of a “MAGA civil war”, and aggressively responded to H1-B critics online.
“I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” the billionaire tweeted.
Laura Loomer apologized for sharing Sriram Krishnan's personal information after Trump supported the H-1B program. Sriram Krishnan's immigration views contrast with Loomer's.
Laura Loomer
India Today Global Desk
Dec 30, 2024 0
In Short
Laura Loomer apologised for sharing Sriram Krishnan's personal info.
Loomer criticised Krishnan's loyalty to Trump.
Musk and Ramaswamy defended H-1B program.
The MAGA vs MAGA conflict has paused for now, with far-right activist Laura Loomer apologizing for having publicly shared Indian-American entrepreneur and Trump's nominee for senior policy advisor on artificial intelligence Sriram Krishnan’s personal information. Krishnan is known for his immigration views and stance on H-1B visa policy, which is in direct contrast to Loomer’s.
The apology came after US President-elect Donald Trump expressed his support for the H-1B program in a reversal of his earlier stance.
In an interview with the New York Post on Saturday, Trump praised the use of visas to bring skilled foreign workers to the US. “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them,” Trump said.
“I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program,” Trump told the newspaper.
Trump has, in the past, criticized the H-1B visas, calling them “very bad” and “unfair” for US workers. During his first term as President, he unveiled a “Hire American” policy that directed changes to the program to try to ensure the visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants.
Loomer apology
Announcing the apology on social media platform X, Loomer wrote: "I deeply apologize for accidentally doxxing Sriram @sriramk by sharing public FEC records with his personal info. It was an honest mistake, and I take full responsibility. I've removed the post and I promise that I will be more careful in the future when I post FEC records.
“I was posting FEC records which are public information. I was not trying to inflict harm on anyone, & if @sriramk felt as though I was trying to “doxx” him, I sincerely apologize for that. I promise I wasn’t doxxing & I believe more speech is the answer. Not less. @elonmusk," she said in another X post.
Loomer has openly criticized Krishnan's appointment as AI advisor.
In a recent post on X, Loomer accused Krishnan of disloyalty to Trump, claiming that he donated to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign and didn’t vote for Trump in 2024. "Hey Sriram Krishnan, what is this? Why did you donate to Kamala Harris's presidential campaign less than one month before the 2024 Presidential election? You didn’t even vote for Trump... Now you want to infiltrate his admin?" Loomer's tweet said, sparking intense debate online. Her post accusing Krishnan of betrayal triggered widespread reactions from social media users, many questioning Krishnan’s loyalty to Trump. Some even called for his removal as Trump’s AI advisor.
advertisement
Controversy over H-1B program
The controversy erupted after Laura Loomer, a staunch immigration critic, lashed out at Trump’s decision to appoint Indian-origin tech executive Sriram Krishnan as his artificial intelligence advisor.
Loomer called the move “not America First policy,” drawing support from some conservative Republicans, including former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
Musk and his ally, Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have defended the tech industry’s reliance on H-1B workers.
“American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. “If we pretend like ‘normalcy’ cuts it, we’ll have our asses handed to us by China.”
The exchange highlighted a broader division within the Republican Party. Musk called out "hateful racists", warned of a “MAGA civil war”, and aggressively responded to H1-B critics online.
“I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend,” the billionaire tweeted.
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