In an exchange of blows on the H-1B visa and immigration reform, Elon Musk is again at headlines for blunt words on a discussion in X. Tesla and SpaceX chief did not hold himself back while replying to the user, seemingly supportive of Donald Trump as strong words have marked the ongoing immigration policy fight between polarizing GOP lawmakers and Republican voters.
The thread was sparked by a video featuring Musk discussing limits to education. “You shouldn’t optimize something that shouldn’t exist, he said. But it took a turn when user Steve Mackey applied Musk’s comments to the H-1B visa program-to which Musk responded with a charged reply.
“The reason I’m in America, along with so many key people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other cos that made America strong is because of H-1B,” said Musk, continuing to amp his reply. “Take a big step back and F**K YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
After Musk’s sharp riposte, Mackey attempted to patch things up by offering that he was the billionaire’s “biggest fan,” but also had a right to disagree with those he admires.
Before this exchange, Musk had given his opinion that “hateful, unrepentant racists” needed to be removed from the Republican Party “root and stem.” But in a wider political frame, both Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Trump’s soon-to-be cabinet, are campaigning for legal immigration via H-1B visas. Whereas factions within the party-including some allies like Laura Loomer-are seeking an immigration ban altogether.
That debate got much hotter after Scott Adams, author of the comic strip Dilbert, said MAGA Republicans were doing everything the Democrats did in order to lose an election with their chests heaving. Musk replied, “Yes. And those vile bastards must be jettisoned from the Republican Party, root and stem.”
Musk has made it clear that, to keep innovation churning within the U.S., he will need the best of talent from across the globe, but such a view pits him against hardline Republicans looking to stop competition for U.S. jobs.
