‘Sit back and study ... Don’t come up and go to the pulpit in your first week here and start lecturing people about the way things are going to be,’ Trump’s former White House strategist warns tech billionaire

Summary

Steve Bannon, former Trump strategist, sharply criticized Elon Musk over his support for H-1B visas, accusing him of undermining American workers.

On his “War Room” podcast, Bannon warned Musk to adopt MAGA’s “America First” stance or face backlash, calling for a complete immigration moratorium.

Musk, a proponent of skilled foreign labor, has defended H-1B visas for filling tech jobs, citing a lack of qualified Americans, sparking controversy.

Trump’s unexpected support for H-1B workers has further divided MAGA supporters, escalating tensions between Trump allies and Musk.

  • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
    641·
    16 days ago

    Fuck me, I hate the fact that I agree with Bannon on this. But I’ve seen far too many instances of H1-B visas being issued when American workers “couldn’t be found” for positions, when the reality was that America workers couldn’t be found at rates the company wanted to pay. It’s never about finding actual expertise, and always about saving money combined with hiring people that can’t complain about abuse.

    Tell ya what, the ‘solution’ might be to naturalize all H1-B workers so that they have the same rights and can’t be deported if they quit.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        15 days ago

        Yeah. They’ve been doing this crap since at least the 90s. I’d love to see some reparations paid for the decades I’ve been in this field and had my wages artificially held down by this garbage.

    • SupraMario@lemmy.world
      18·
      16 days ago

      Companies use them as a way to suppress wages as well. They’re basically slaves once they are here too, don’t argue with the pay or we’ll revoke the visa sponsorship and send you home.

      • HelixDab2@lemm.ee
        10·
        16 days ago

        Right, and that’s why I think that maybe naturalizing them once they’re here might solve that; can’t send 'em home if home is here.

        Or maybe change the system so that a company is responsible for them for 48 months, even if they quit; that might be an adequate disincentive.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        15 days ago

        Yep. It was kind of hard to get to the “obedient workers” (in the George Carlin sense) with knowledge workers, so the corporations colluded with a captured government to rig it so knowledge workers can be kept in line.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      15 days ago

      I agree. I hate that I agree with Bannon, too. I would not be surprised to see him lose on this, though. Donvict is a lame duck and doesn’t need votes now, he just wants to make as much money for himself as possible now.

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
      3·
      15 days ago

      They do that up here as well in Canada.

      They give slave wages for fast food jobs in a super expensive market, say oh we can’t find anyone, and then bring in temporary workers using our temporary foreign worker program, have them stay in cramped housing provided by the owners, and charge high rent. Then they threaten to fire them and have them deported if they make a fuss.

    • shalafi@lemmy.worldEnglish
      13·
      16 days ago

      I would laugh myself stupid!

      “It’s Bannon out of the corner, with a steel chair!”

  • finley@lemm.eeEnglish
    13·
    16 days ago

    Meanwhile, Bannon’s face appears to be falling off all by itself.

  • FollyDolly@lemmy.world
    7·
    16 days ago

    Ol’ Steve ain’t looking so good these days, not sure he’d win at tearing another person’s face off. Looks like he gets winded opening a door.

    • ultranaut@lemmy.world
      3·
      15 days ago

      Yes. I don’t know who Bannon is referring to specifically but there’s various billionaires behind him. He was living on a Chinese billionaires superyacht last year before his prison sentence.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        15 days ago

        It’s almost like some of these people - donvict, Elon, Bannon, Thiel - are trying to pattern their lives after cartoon supervillians, isn’t it?

        I also wonder when magabrainz watch things like Back to the Future or Caddyshack - who are they rooting for when they watch those movies?