President Donald Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired Tuesday that the United States lacks some of the specialized skills needed for complex manufacturing and tech roles and that the country therefore must “bring in talent” from abroad. When Fox host Laura Ingraham said the U.S. has “plenty of talented people here,” Trump replied, “No, you don’t … you don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn.”
The comments came as Trump defended — and partially softened his administration’s hard line on H-1B skilled-worker visas after the White House earlier this year imposed a $100,000 fee on many new petitions. Trump said employers cannot simply take long-term unemployed workers and slot them into highly technical factory or defense jobs without training, and he pointed to a previous immigration raid at a Hyundai plant as an example of the complexities involved.
Business groups and many technology companies have argued for the H-1B program as vital to U.S. competitiveness; Trump’s acknowledgement that some foreign talent is necessary appeared to align, at least in part, with that industry position. News outlets monitoring the interview noted the remarks represent a rare public defense of skilled foreign workers from a president who has otherwise pursued strict immigration measures.
But the remarks immediately prompted criticism from elements of his political base. Prominent MAGA figures and conservative commentators called the comments a betrayal of “America First” promises to prioritize U.S. workers, with social-media blowback and sharp public rebukes from some Republican hardliners. The split underscores mounting tensions within the GOP between business interests that want access to high-skill immigrants and populist activists who favor tighter immigration controls.
Analysts say the exchange highlights a difficult trade-off for policymakers: balancing domestic job and wage protections with the needs of advanced manufacturers, defense supply chains and technology firms that often require narrowly trained workers not immediately available in the domestic labor pool. Administration officials and industry leaders will likely face renewed pressure in coming weeks to explain how the H-1B overhaul and the high new fee will affect U.S. firms and the jobs they create.
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