President Donald Trump says that the United States needs foreign talent for specialized jobs, citing complex skills Americans may lack.
President Donald Trump defended the use of H-1B skilled worker visas in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday November 11, 2025, asserting that the United States lacks certain talents required for specialized domestic jobs. His comments come amid growing debates over immigration, labor shortages, and the future of the H-1B program.
During the interview, Trump was pressed on whether his administration would reduce H-1B visas due to concerns they could depress wages for American workers. He responded, “I agree — but you also do have to bring in talent,” arguing that some positions require specialized skills that cannot be filled immediately from the domestic labor pool.
“You don’t have certain talents, and people have to learn,” Trump added. “You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory where we’re going to make missiles.’”
The President cited the September ICE raid at a Georgia Hyundai facility, which resulted in the arrest and deportation of hundreds of South Korean contractors, as an example of why skilled foreign labor is essential. “They had people from South Korea that made batteries all their life. Making batteries is very complicated. It’s not an easy thing. Very dangerous, a lot of explosions, a lot of problems,” Trump said, noting that their expertise was crucial in training American workers.
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Trump’s remarks follow a September 2025 executive action imposing a $100,000 application fee for H-1B visas, part of his administration’s broader immigration crackdown. The H-1B visa allows foreign nationals to work in the U.S. for three years, renewable for another three, and is considered by economists as a tool that helps U.S. companies maintain competitiveness while creating domestic jobs.
The President’s statements drew criticism from Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a long-time ally. Greene said on social media, “I believe in the American people… I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H-1Bs.” Trump responded from the Oval Office, claiming Greene had “lost her way” and was “catering to the other side.”
The Fox News interview also touched on international education, with Trump defending the enrollment of Chinese students in U.S. universities and questioning Ingraham’s suggestion that French students were preferable. “I’m not so sure,” he said, highlighting his broader argument for carefully selecting foreign talent that contributes to U.S. industries.
Trump’s remarks underline the ongoing tension in U.S. policy between protecting domestic labor and relying on foreign expertise to sustain specialized sectors, including manufacturing and technology.