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Buck Sexton
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Buck Sexton
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You hear it from us every day. We pull back the curtain on what's happening in Washington, dc.
Buck Sexton
But for years, I've also wanted to.
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Do something else and and now I finally have. I've launched a brand new venture. It's an online research newsletter capitalizing on my access to information that will benefit you. It's called Money and Power. For the first time, I'm combining my access to the top level decision makers. I mean the White House cabinet officials and also titans of industry with my team's market research. That's so everyday Americans, not just Wall street elites can see the same kinds of stock market opportunities that insiders have always kept for themselves. Let's be honest, for too long everyday people have been shut out from getting the truly big money in the stock market. It gives you a once in a lifetime chance to build real wealth for yourself and your family. I explain all the exciting details in an exclusive new interview. Let's take this off air and go online to this website offair25.com See my interview there? That's offair25.com paid for by Paradigm Press.
Buck Sexton
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Buck Sexton
Get your Is President trump still America first when it comes to H1B visas? The short answer is yes, my friends, but the longer answer is what we're gonna talk about here. After all of the hubbub, the hullabaloo, the controversy after the interview he did with Laura Ingram, I'm gonna make sense of it all for you. First of all, President Trump is a realist and is, as he has pointed out many times, including in this interview, the guy who better understands the America first movement more than anyone else, considering that he is the founder and leader of it. But I understand why there was a little bit of concern after this particular answer on Laura INGRAHAM show about H1B visas. I want to explain why. What is real about this or what is concerning about H1B visas and what Trump is saying about H1B visas? I'm going to do a little bit of yes, Trump translation on this one for you.
Policy Expert or Commentator
Americans have to talk about it.
Buck Sexton
And does that mean the H1B visa thing will not be a big priority for your administration? Because if you want to raise wages for American workers, you can't flood the country with tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of foreign workers.
Policy Expert or Commentator
Also do have to bring in talent.
Buck Sexton
When we have plenty of talented people?
Policy Expert or Commentator
No you don't. No you don't.
Buck Sexton
We don't have talented people here.
Policy Expert or Commentator
No, you don't have. You don't have certain talents and you have to, people have to learn. You can't take people off an unemployment, like an unemployment line and say, I'm going to put you into a factory, we're going to make missiles. Or I'm going to put, how do.
Buck Sexton
We ever do it before?
Policy Expert or Commentator
Well, let me, I'll give you an example. In Georgia, they raided because they wanted illegal immigrants out. They had people from, from South Korea that need batteries all their lives. You know, making batteries are very complicated. It's not an easy thing and very dangerous. A lot of explosions, a lot of problems. They had like five or six hundred people, early stages to make batteries and to teach people how to do it well. They wanted them to get out of the country. You're going to need that, Laura. I mean, I know you and I disagree on this. You can't just say a country's coming in, going to invest $10 billion to build a plant and going to take people off an unemployment line who haven't worked in five years and they're going to start making missiles. It doesn't work that way.
Buck Sexton
So here's the thing. There are cases where President Trump is, and this is what he's referring to where he is correct on this one, there are areas where we actually don't have the capability here at home to immediately employ only Americans to do certain jobs. An example of this is TSMC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. They have set up now, I just was over in Taiwan, so this is top of mind for me. They have an absolutely critical role to play in the global technology ecosystem because they make 50% of all semiconductors, microchips, same thing, but 90% of, of the top end, the high end, the stuff you need for your smartphones, the stuff you need for top military applications and you know, F35 plane targeting systems or whatever, the most high end supercomputers, AI stuff, the high end chips, they are the ones that make them, they are the ones that are able to do so. And it is an incredibly complicated and intricate process, not just from the machinery perspective, but also from the people involved in operating those machines. This is why TSMC has set up a large, they call them a fab, a fabrication facility in Arizona and is going to be building that out more. But it is not possible anywhere in America right now for us to replicate what TSMC is doing in Taiwan. So, and nor would we be able to operate what they're doing in Arizona on our own. So this is something where you do actually need to have very specialized workers in this area who are doing the stuff that we're talking about here. And by the way, this is also where Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessant stepped in to say, yeah, look, this is what Trump actually meant here.
Industry Analyst or Expert
20, 30 years, we have offshore precision manufacturing jobs. And the president's point here is we, again, we can't snap our fingers and say, you're going to learn how to build ships overnight. We want to bring semiconductor industry back to the US There will be big facilities in Arizona. So I think the President's vision here is to bring in overseas workers where these jobs who have skills, who have the skills, three, five, seven years to train the US Workers, then they can go home. The US Workers fully take over.
Buck Sexton
So do you understand the concern that.
Policy Expert or Commentator
Some people have, hey, an American can have that job.
Buck Sexton
Why you give it to.
Industry Analyst or Expert
An American can have that job.
Buck Sexton
Specific skills.
Industry Analyst or Expert
Because we haven't built ships in the US for years, we haven't built semiconductors. So this idea of overseas partners coming in, teaching American workers, then returning home, that's a home run, okay?
Buck Sexton
Exactly right. There are going to be some places where we have to do a training up, if you will, of that workforce to get them the capability to be able to do it here at home. Now, that's one part of this. But we got into this about a year ago. There was a very contentious exchange that was happening online involving Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and a number of people on X when it came to this issue of foreign workers In America and H1BS, H1B visas are very much abused. And it is clear that they have been used by a lot of companies to do something that's really gross. You see, they underpay, they pay below market wages for some of these jobs. And you say, well, why are they able to do that? Well, they're able to do it because these individuals are tethered by their H1B status to the company that sponsors them. So they can't just get up and go to some other company that easily. They have to stay where they are. And so that means they can be underpaid and also just not, not treated as well as they would be in other circumstances if they were Americans or, you know, permanent residents here. So that's one part of it. But the part of it that's really also very gross is that these companies know that there's another major incentive for people to be here on H1BS, and that is they can then use that as a pathway to try to get a green card. And they can then use that as a pathway to. To bring their whole family here. Chain migration. So there's a big incentive for H1B individuals that isn't financial, but is status related to being here. And let me add, the rest of the American people are the ones who then are going to pay for that family when they get here, pay for their benefits, you know, deal with English as a second language challenges or all these different things. They socialize on the American people. The costs of the immigration advantage that they may have with this. And keep in mind, these aren't necessarily highly skilled individuals at all. There are people here on H1BS for very menial jobs, which is another. It's a complete abuse, a total abuse of the system that has been going on. And this is why there was such a pushback initially against what Trump said. Trump is right. There are areas where we do need the H1B visas that are currently here or highly specialized individuals who are here. But it's very small component of the overall situation. It's a very small slice of the overall pie. And the whole pie is supposed to be that. So that's why it's even worse. It should be only special. H1B should only be people doing jobs that we could not fill with Americans to do. And I would venture as just a guess, less than 10% and maybe even less than 5% of the H1B visas that are here are individuals. It would really be hard to find someone else in America to do that same job at that same level. Might even be less than 1%, but it's definitely less than 10%. It is a very small percentage of the overall program. So this is why the program's a scam. It's a scam and it should not be allowed to continue the way that it has been going on. Our sponsor here is Hillsdale College. America didn't just happen, okay? The colonists didn't just wake up one day in 1776 and declare independence from the British. 150 years that made the American Revolution possible. And there's so much confusion out there about this history. That's why Hillsdale College has a miniseries on colonial America that you need to check out. Brush up on this history, be fascinating and really good for you and your family and your kids. And Hillsdale is doing amazing work with this stuff. Hillsdale College offers these miniseries completely free and easy to access. Plus, it offers more than 40 other free online courses at Hillsdale, including a course on C.S. lewis stories in the Book of Genesis, the Rise and Fall of The Roman Republic. You can go even deeper on the American founding, the Constitution, all for free. Go to Hillsdale Edu Buck to enroll. There's no cost. It's easy to get started. That's Hillsdale Edu Buck to enroll for free today. And please do check it out. It is really cool. Okay, so back to this big discussion about H1B and the visa situation and what's going on here. Look, Trump knows what he's talking about. And this is the guy who's done more to secure our border and to deal with the problems of immigration than anybody else that we have seen in our lifetime. That all said, there are still a lot of conversations that need to be had in America, and not just about H1B visas, I might add. It's actually more than just the H1B visa issue. Here is Secretary of Homeland Security noem on the H1B.
Secretary of Homeland Security Noem
We're going to keep using our visa programs. We're just going to make sure that they have integrity, that we're actually doing the vetting of the individuals who come into this country, that they want to be here for the right reasons, that they're not supporters of terrorists and organizations that hate America. And that's what I think is so remarkable, is under the Trump administration, we've sped up our process and added integrity to the visa programs, to green cards, to all of that, but also more people are becoming naturalized under this administration than ever before. More people are becoming citizens because we're not just streamlining and building some processes back into our immigration policies. We're also making sure that these individuals that are coming into our country and get that privilege, that they actually are here for the right reasons. The Biden administration let thousands of terrorists into this country. They opened the southern border. They abused our asylum programs, abused our protective programs and visa programs, and we fixed all of it.
Buck Sexton
Okay, let's get into this now. Going to make sure they were doing the vetting, make sure they're here for the right reasons. Ok. Not terrorists. Yeah, that's all good. Sped up our process. Add an integrity of the visa program to green card. She says more people are becoming citizens because we're not just streamlining and building some processes back into immigration or making sure these individuals are coming into our country for the right reasons. Ok. We should probably take a real pause on migration into America or certainly a dramatic decline of legal. I'm talking legal now. Migration to America for a while. This, this is one of these things where people get uncomfortable. Oh, what are you saying? I'm Saying exactly what I'm saying, which is that to have a cohesive country, a nation where people are bound to each other by ties of kinship, by ideals, by the basis, the foundational elements of a polity and of a society, we can't just be importing generally the third world into America, millions and millions a year, and see what happens. We're going to start to dissolve as a society if this continues on. And we need to really have that conversation. Now that the illegal immigration issue has gotten the attention that it needs. We need to be having a conversation about the legal immigration that has been happening here. We actually very much need to take a step back and allow this American experiment to have a little breathing room. This is what's always happened in the past. Historically, what I'm saying has been the American norm. There is an opening in immigration for a while. We're taking a whole lot of immigrants. Great. Become part of the American experience experiment, obeying our laws. And then we take a pause. For one reason or another, there's a pause. And then you allow assimilation to occur and you also allow the dominant ethos in America to be infused into the new arrivals. And that is a very important and very powerful process. And it needs to be happening here. We have changed the character and the people of America in the last 70 years, or no, 65. So 60 years, sorry, last 60 years. And certainly even in the last 30 years, last 20 years, more rapidly than at any time in history. Bigger even than the days of Ellis island and all that. And we have a massive welfare state that we're trying to fund with all this too, which is a big problem. We need to have a, a timeout here now for people that have extremely valuable skills. I mentioned the TSMC workers, people that have extremely valuable skills that we need. And that. That's very apparent. Yeah, of course, we still should have some, some visas for temporary workers, some, you know, students that are allowed to come here. 600,000 Chinese, though. No, we do not need that. And we need to start thinking very seriously about the strategic impact on our country of educating our biggest adversary and allowing them not only to spy on this country, because that happens a lot on campuses. That's happening. Okay. There are Chinese spies posing as students. That's real. And also to take back American know how and ingenuity to their country to compete with us. That's another big problem, another big challenge that we need to address. So, yeah, I think we should be willing to have the conversation about taking a step back and having a dramatic reduction for, I would say for the next decade at least in legal immigration into this country. And also that would allow us to much more clearly deal with the illegal immigration problem because, remember, we had a lot of people come in illegally. Trump has secured the border, but the illegals are still here. And who knows what the number is? 20 million, 30 million, who knows? So that's another part of this process must be dealt with. Our sponsors, Preborn. Preborn is saving lives every day, the lives of tiny unborn babies in the womb. And what they do is they welcome mothers into their clinics and they say, hey, look, I understand you're under a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, you're scared, but we're here for you. The preborn clinics are here to give you love and support and want you to meet your baby. Let's, let's have that introduction, so to speak, happen. And that happens with an ultrasound. The free ultrasound experience that preborn gives to moms who come into their clinics make the choice for life so much easier and just the percentage so much higher. $28 provides a free ultrasound to women like women who are walking into these clinics day in and day out. Pick up your phone, dial £250 and say the keyword baby. That's £250. Say baby or donate securely@preborn.com Buck preborn.com Buck sponsored by Preborn and then we have JD Vance.
JD Vance
First of all, I've heard a lot of the criticisms, the fear that we're going to have a brain drain.
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JD Vance
And 60s, the American space program, the program that was the first to put a human being on the surface of the moon, was built by American citizens, some German and Jewish scientists who had come over to during World War II, but mostly by American citizens who had built an incredible space program with American talent. This idea that American citizens don't have the talent to do great things, that you have to import a foreign class of servants and professors to do these things, I just reject that. I actually think we invest in our own people. We can do a lot of good. You've heard that criticism in particular as the president has talked about cracking down on foreign student visas and their abuses. But I think that's actually an opportunity for American citizens to really flourish it.
Buck Sexton
And here's the talking about this issue. And I think it's, look, Americans have done incredible things in our history. Americans are the talent that we need to do the great things of the future. And that's also why I think the H1B thing. And this is where Vivek Ramaswamy with his we don't have a culture of excellence. We like the, the quarterback of the football team and not the math lead or whatever that first. That's not even, that's not true. It was bizarre. And I'd also want to say it was honestly, I was surprised by Vivek on this one. I thought it was one of the most tone deaf and strange and self defeating posts from a prominent figure in Republican politics I'd seen in a long time. It was very strange a year ago, but I still remember it. I was actually on vacation when I saw it. So I didn't really get engaged, you know, online with it because I was trying to stay off Twitter. But I see this and I read about it. We don't need, we don't need non Americans to make America great. We actually can make America great with just Americans. And we do have a culture of excellence here. It's why we're the greatest country in the world and no other country is anywhere near what we are in terms of our greatness. So I appreciate that. We do not have to import other people and JD Vance's point here is very powerful. We do not have to import other people so that we're able to achieve great things. There is no basis for that in our history. In fact, if you are to look at what we've been able to do, what we've been able to accomplish, it is overwhelmingly the case that it has been Americans who have done the incredible things. It has been the Americans who have been changing the world that we live in today. I believe we're entering a once in a century opportunity for Main street investors. Over the next three years, President Trump is going to continue to free the markets from Washington red tape and job killing regulations. We'll see life changing stock market gains in defense, finance, healthcare, energy. So many areas. We're talking hundreds, maybe thousands of explosive opportunities as artificial intelligence transforms the US Economy. But here's the truth. Most Americans will miss out on grabbing the biggest fortunes. I don't want that to happen to you. That's why I've launched something brand new, an e newsletter called Money and Power. For too long, insiders have locked the biggest opportunities behind closed doors. But now I'm busting it wide open. To give you early looks at the wealth opportunities that are shaping America's future. I explain all the exciting details in an interview online. Go to offair2025.com right now to check this out. Off air2025.com paid for by Paradigm Press. Thanks for hanging with me today.
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Buck Sexton
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Buck Sexton
I'm Rodney Williams and I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak Podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.
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What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?
Buck Sexton
Because wealth isn't just about money, it's.
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About creating a life where you thrive.
Buck Sexton
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Buck Sexton
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Episode: Buck Brief - America Doesn't Need Foreigners to Make it Great
Date: November 13, 2025
In this "Buck Brief," host Buck Sexton addresses a recent controversy around former President Trump's comments on H1B visas and the broader debate over America's dependence on foreign labor for technological and economic advancement. Through analysis, expert commentary, and a review of historical and current policy, Buck argues that while some specialized foreign talent is necessary, the United States does not need to rely heavily on foreigners to achieve greatness. The episode explores the balance between leveraging global expertise and investing in American talent, emphasizing the need for integrity and reform in U.S. immigration and visa programs.
Trump’s Consistency:
Context of the Controversy:
Visa Abuse and Pay Disparities:
Chain Migration & Incentives:
Specialized Talent Should Be Rare:
Secretary of Homeland Security Noem’s Perspective:
Calls for a “Pause” on Legal Immigration:
Historical Context:
National Security and Student Visas:
Historical American Achievement:
Critique of “Excellence Culture” Claims:
Buck’s tone throughout is candid, direct, and occasionally impassioned, blending policy analysis with a strong patriotic bent. The overall message is optimistic about American self-reliance and skeptical of the current size and function of U.S. visas for foreign workers, advocating for reform, focus on American talent, and stricter immigration controls.