President Donald Trump, once the undisputed leader of the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, now finds himself in the midst of a growing rift with his conservative base. The division, which has been simmering for months, erupted into full view this week as Trump publicly doubled down on his support for skilled foreign workers, particularly those entering the United States through the H-1B visa program. The president’s remarks, delivered at a high-profile US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington on November 20, 2025, have sparked fierce debate among his supporters and critics alike, revealing the deep complexities at the heart of America’s immigration and economic policies.
At the center of the controversy are Trump’s candid acknowledgments—both of his slipping approval ratings and the realities facing America’s workforce. "My poll numbers just went down, but with smart people they’ve gone way up. And I mean that," Trump told an audience that included Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, tech industry titans like Elon Musk and NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang, and a cadre of international investors. According to The Daily Beast, the president appeared unfazed by the political risks, insisting that his approach was not only necessary but true to the spirit of MAGA.
Trump’s forceful defense of skilled immigration came as his base vented frustration over what they see as a betrayal of his "America First" promises. The hashtag #AmericaLast trended on social media, and some supporters even pronounced, “MAGA is dead.” Their anger was stoked by Trump’s recent comments on Fox News, where he dismissed concerns about Chinese students taking college places and asserted that the U.S. lacks the talent needed for the most advanced manufacturing jobs. "No, you don’t… You don’t have certain talents. And people have to learn. You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory, we’re going to make missiles,’” Trump told Laura Ingraham, according to AP coverage.
At the investment forum, Trump elaborated on his reasoning. “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!” he declared, as reported by The Hindustan Times. He argued that these foreign experts would teach American workers the skills needed to eventually take over the jobs. “We want those people to teach our people how to make computer chips and how to make other things,” Trump said. “They’re going to have to bring thousands of people with them, and I’m going to welcome those people.”
Trump’s remarks were met with enthusiasm by the business community in attendance, many of whom rely on skilled foreign labor to staff advanced manufacturing facilities. But back home, the reaction was anything but uniform. Conservative firebrand Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a staunch Trump ally, has become one of his most vocal critics on the issue. Greene, who has clashed with Trump over the release of the Epstein files and other matters, announced her intention to introduce legislation phasing out the H-1B program. “My bill ELIMINATES the corrupt H-1B program and puts AMERICANS FIRST again in tech, healthcare, engineering, manufacturing, and every industry that keeps this country running!!” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter), as cited by AP and The Hindustan Times. Reiterating her stance after Trump’s speech, Greene insisted, “I believe in the American people. Their talent, their intelligence, their hard work ethic, and their goodness. Americans come first and are the only workers that we should fight for.”
The president, for his part, sought to bridge the divide with his base while standing firm on his policy. “I love my conservative friends and I love MAGA but this is MAGA! And those people are going to teach our people to make computer chips, and in a short period of time our people are gonna be doing great,” Trump told the forum, according to The Daily Beast. He acknowledged the backlash, joking, “I may take a little heat. I always take a little heat from my people… they happen to be toward the right of centre, sometimes they are way right.” Yet, he insisted that the only way the U.S. could capitalize on the billions being invested in new factories was to allow companies to bring in the staff required to get them up and running.
Trump also referenced a September 2025 immigration raid at Hyundai’s battery plant in Georgia, where hundreds of workers were detained. “Batteries are very dangerous to make. They’re complex, much more complex than people understand,” he explained. “They spent a billion dollars to build a factory, and they were told to get out. And I said, ‘Stop it. Don’t be stupid.’ And we worked it out, and now they’re teaching our people how to do it.” The anecdote was intended to illustrate the value of foreign expertise in training American workers, a point Trump has repeatedly emphasized despite political costs.
While Trump’s administration continues to take a hard line on illegal immigration, his nuanced stance on skilled visas like the H-1B has exposed deep fissures within the Republican Party. Many technology firms and manufacturers argue that the U.S. education system simply cannot produce enough workers with the specialized skills needed for advanced manufacturing, at least not yet. H-1B visas, they contend, are essential for keeping American industry competitive on the global stage. On the other hand, populist conservatives worry that the program undercuts American workers and depresses wages, fueling resentment at a time when cost-of-living pressures remain high.
Amid these tensions, Trump’s approval rating has taken a hit. A mid-November Marist poll shows the president’s support at just 39 percent, his lowest since the aftermath of the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Democrats now enjoy a 14-point advantage in hypothetical midterm elections, according to The Daily Beast. Some in MAGA circles have blamed Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, for his recent missteps, but key allies like Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. have rushed to her defense. At the forum, Trump himself lauded Wiles as “the most powerful woman in the world,” adding, “She can destroy a country with one phone call. That’s power.”
Despite the political storm, Trump appears determined to press ahead. He announced that, at the request of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he would leverage his influence to help end atrocities and stabilize Sudan, working in concert with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern partners. The move signals Trump’s ongoing willingness to engage in global affairs, even as critics urge him to focus more on domestic issues.
As the debate over skilled immigration rages on, Trump’s position remains as polarizing as ever. For some, it’s a pragmatic response to economic realities; for others, it’s a betrayal of core promises. One thing is clear: the battle over who gets to build America’s future is far from over, and the outcome will shape the nation’s politics for years to come.
