In a recent commentary, Bill Mitchell, a noted voice in the MAGA community, advised Trump supporters to reconsider their rigid views on H-1B visas. He emphasized that a hardline approach could jeopardize the United States’ position as a leader in technology.
MAGA commentator Bill Mitchell waded into the H-1B row on Monday, urging Trump supporters to stop attacking the president and warning that a hardline, anti-immigrant approach on skilled visas would damage the country. Posting on X, Mitchell said: “The America first crowd realizes that this doesn’t mean, ‘America alone,’ right? We are part of a global economy. If we do not bring the best talent to America to work for us, our technology will leave America in search of that talent.” He added: “So those who claim to want an end to H-1B’s as ‘America first’ will make America last in technology.” Mitchell’s intervention comes as Republicans continue to rage over Donald Trump’s recent Fox News comments, where he said the US lacks certain specialised skills and needs foreign talent in areas such as tech and defence. “You don’t have certain talents. People have to learn. You can’t take people off the unemployment line and say go make missiles,” Trump said. His remarks split his base, while Democrats framed it as another Trump reversal.Last week, Mitchell urged conservatives to look at the H1-B situation realistically. He argued that if H-1B visas were scrapped tomorrow, companies would not suddenly hire Americans but would simply offshore those jobs because many candidates are “underskilled”. He said the uproar is largely driven by online anger: “H-1B has become a burning issue only on X, while people on the street do not even know what the H-1B is.”He also told supporters not to misinterpret Trump’s wording. Mitchell said the president never claimed America lacked talent entirely, but pointed out that certain industries require specialised skills. “Never attack Trump for ANYTHING while he is president. Chances are you don’t know what he knows,” he said, adding that the US does not have enough homegrown talent to meet the demands of the AI era.Mitchell warned that attacks from MAGA risk weakening both Trump and the movement heading into 2026.