← The Stephen A. Smith Show
The Stephen A. Smith Show
Stephen A's Take: Trump sides with Musk and Ramaswamy. H-1B visas fueling divide in MAGA world.
00:16:42
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- [00:00]
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- [01:09]
Political Commentator 1
I know I might have shocked everybody when I talked about Donald Trump and how he could go a long way towards sort of minimizing. I certainly never say, will never say resolving, but to at least to some degree minimizing the kind of things that we witnessed transpire with Robert Brooks courtesy of Correctional or New York City Correctional officers who murdered him. I'll touch on that in just a second and elaborate on my point, because I'm gonna try to make it make sense for y'all right now. Donald Trump is in the news for another reason, and it's because of his two guys, Musk, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy how they're Defending Foreign Worker Visas Sparking a backlash from the MAGA right itself, According to a report reading right here from CNN social media, Posts by Elon Musk and Revek Ramaswamy arguing in favor of expanding the visa program for highly skilled workers have set off a debate among supporters of President Elect Donald Trump over how the program should fit into the incoming administration's aggressive immigration agenda. Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tapped to lead his Department of Government Efficiency that's the Doge, defended companies who use workers on H1B visas, arguing tech companies, including those owned by Musk, of course depend on foreign workers to operate. But the message rankled some of Trump's most loyal defenders, who expect his administration to crack down on immigration and promote American workers. Trump restricted access to foreign worker visas during his first term and has targeted the H1B program and passed remarks. But during the 2024 campaign, Trump signaled. Trump signaled openness to giving some foreign workers legal status if they graduated from a US University.
- [03:13]
Political Commentator 2
Musk actually compared the situation to sports.
- [03:16]
Political Commentator 1
Listen to this quote from Elon Musk. If you want your team to win the championship, you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be that enables the whole team to win. Musk wrote on X, which obviously he owns.
- [03:29]
Political Commentator 2
I am referring to bringing in via legal immigration the top 0.1% of engineering.
- [03:36]
Political Commentator 1
Talent as being essential for America to keep winning. This is what most Musk wrote in.
- [03:42]
Political Commentator 2
Another post on Thursday. Thinking of America as a pro sports team that has been winning for a.
- [03:48]
Political Commentator 1
Long time and wants to keep winning is the right mental construct, ladies and gentlemen. I gotta tell you, I have no problem with that. I have no problem with that whatsoever. We don't want open borders because we don't want more than 12 and a half million people just coming into the country illegally.
- [04:06]
Political Commentator 2
Fair enough.
- [04:08]
Political Commentator 1
We certainly don't want folks, the very few of them who are criminals, into the country. But we don't want open borders.
- [04:17]
Political Commentator 2
But that doesn't mean we don't want.
- [04:19]
Political Commentator 1
Folks to come through the border legally.
- [04:23]
Political Commentator 2
It doesn't mean that we don't want.
- [04:26]
Political Commentator 1
Our society to continue to be the.
- [04:28]
Political Commentator 2
Gorgeous mosaic that we've been known to be.
- [04:31]
Political Commentator 1
America's the land of opportunity.
- [04:33]
Political Commentator 2
And if you have people from foreign nations that are incredibly bright and add a lot to technology and other forms of business in this world that promotes and provokes employment for a bevy of other American citizens and beyond in this country, why would we not do that? Why would we not do that? Especially if you're talking about them being some of the top engineers in this world. Why we, why would we want to keep them out of America? I totally agree with Elon Musk about that. It makes perfect sense. It really, really does. And oh, by the way, the number that he threw out there is 0.1% of the top engineers.
- [05:12]
Political Commentator 1
That's not hurting anybody. If anything, that's helping America.
- [05:15]
Political Commentator 2
But Vivek Wamaswamy didn't stop. He piggybacked off of what Musk said. And he said our American culture because obviously he's a first generation US citizen.
- [05:24]
Political Commentator 1
Whose parents immigrated from India. So let's get that straight.
- [05:27]
Political Commentator 2
Vivek Ramaswamy says our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long. At least since the 90s and likely longer. That doesn't start in college, it starts young, he said. This is what he said on Thursday A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the Math Olympiad champ or to jock over the valedictorian will not produce the best engineers. I can't argue with that point. That makes perfect sense. That makes perfect sense.
- [05:53]
Political Commentator 1
Now, here's where it gets tricky, and.
- [05:55]
Political Commentator 2
This is what we gotta think about when it comes to Trump. And there is simply no way around this. It's a great discussion because the reality.
- [06:06]
Political Commentator 1
Is, is that it's something that's open for debate.
- [06:11]
Political Commentator 2
There's reportedly fraud in the H1B visa program and it was said to need major reform. This is according to the reports, not me, but America wants the world's top talent and Trump wants to stay number one. Right? So how can you be number one without top talent? You gotta balance that, you know, you gotta balance that message with an America first message. That's a tough thing to do. America first versus America First. People already living and born here, which one is it? America first instead of the in terms of the country or America first instead of the maga?
- [06:50]
Political Commentator 1
Right.
- [06:52]
Political Commentator 2
Who voted for you to think about American citizens first? The only way for Trump to pull this off is to make the argument that it's all about America. It's all about America. And anything that contributes to America being number one is something that we should support. That has to be his argument. And it gets very, very interesting because now it's a debate. And having that debate, here's where the advantage is. At least in the Trump administration, there.
- [07:18]
Political Commentator 1
Appears to be a debate allowed.
- [07:21]
Political Commentator 2
What has ailed the Democrats? It's not an ideology alone, it's not their feelings alone, it's the fact that if you refute it, what they said, if you are a part of their party, cancel culture kicked in. If you were not a part of their party, it was ostracism and it was ultimately hate mongering and fear mongering that was thrown into the equation. There was no room for debate and enough voices weren't being heard. Diversity amongst those voices not being heard. You're black, you're white, you're gay, you're lesbian, you're heterosexual, you're transgender, it don't matter. You still had to have one form of thinking fell under their umbrella, otherwise you were pushed out. If Trump is saying there needs to be a healthy debate about America first meaning the country, or America first meaning people born in this country and sacrificing the best that may exist out there across the globe, and that's a discussion that's worth having. All of a sudden, that opens the floodgates for an abundance of other things.
- [08:33]
Political Commentator 1
That we can discuss.
- [08:36]
Political Commentator 2
Because when we're talking about America first, aren't we talking about America being the greatest country in the world? Aren't we talking about that being our wish? Are we talking about being in a position where, whether it's financially, whether it's educationally, whether it's intellectually, whether it's morally, we're supposed to be at the top of the heap. Ain't that what we trying to say? And if that is what we are trying to say, where's our behavior to replicate or authenticate that level of thinking? That's a question. It's important. Trump released a statement seemingly siding with Musk and Ramaswamy where he said, quote, I've always liked the visas. I've always been in favor of the visas. That's why we have them. I have many H1B visas on my properties. I've been a believer in H1B. I have used it many times. It's a great program. This is what Donald Trump is saying.
- [09:32]
Political Commentator 1
He's making a very, very valid point.
- [09:35]
Political Commentator 2
When he brings that up. What are H1BS? It's employer sponsored work visas. That's what Musk and Ramaswamy are in support of. And the MAGA right is pushing back on because employer sponsored work visas make basically means immigrants being allowed into the workforce. And you got folks on the MAGA right that don't want immigrants. But in the end, does that make our country better or worse? I say it makes us worse to not have them.
- [10:02]
Political Commentator 1
I completely agree with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on this.
- [10:07]
Political Commentator 2
But most importantly, I agree with the idea of there being an open, robust debate about it because it is not something that the Democrats allow. The Democrats stop letting people decide. One could easily argue their mentality seemed to be you must obey the party line or you're out in your ass. That seemed to be what they were saying. Censorship, cancer, culture. There was no debate.
- [10:37]
Political Commentator 1
That's why they're home. And Donald Trump is on his way back to the White House. And so since we look at it.
- [10:44]
Political Commentator 2
From that standpoint, now we gotta ask ourselves, what does a debate bring?
- [10:48]
Political Commentator 1
One could easily argue it only strict as the party and sharpens the arguments. You can make that argument mainstream media.
- [10:56]
Political Commentator 2
Some could say they're blowing the, you know, they're blowing the disagreement out of proportion a bit. I'm not sure about that.
- [11:04]
Political Commentator 1
I just think these kind of discussions are good for the country and I.
- [11:07]
Political Commentator 2
Wish I saw more of it on.
- [11:09]
Political Commentator 1
The left.
- [11:11]
Political Commentator 2
New lines and alliances might be drawn.
- [11:14]
Political Commentator 1
We all know this, but no one's getting canceled or deplatformed for it. This is a beautiful thing. And with that in mind, why did I bring up Trump over the last segment when I'm talking about the correction officers murdering Robert Brooks? This issue itself has nothing to do with it, but what it's fomenting and.
- [11:41]
Political Commentator 2
What it's provoking in terms of a healthy debate is a beautiful, beautiful thing because it means that you're open to reason. Well, here let me transition back to the correctional officers murdering an inmate. I wasn't there and nor did I.
- [12:01]
Political Commentator 1
Ever see Trump's comments in its completions about Charlottesville.
- [12:08]
Political Commentator 2
I never liked the idea of white supremacists. They're very fine people on both sides. Ah, that's not what you wanted to hear from your president at that particular moment in time, even though his full message might not have been articulated and disseminated to the masses appropriately. But that's not what you want to hear from the President at that particular moment in time. You certainly want to support our police officers.
- [12:27]
Political Commentator 1
I'm not down for defunding the police because I know I'm calling 91 1.
- [12:32]
Political Commentator 2
I don't believe in that. But I am for making sure that the rogue officers amongst us suffer severe punishment and they get weeded out. So the 95 plus percent of law abiding police officers who live up to their oath to serve and protect, I'm all for them being empowered. But what are we gonna do about.
- [13:02]
Political Commentator 1
These correction officers and people like them?
- [13:05]
Political Commentator 2
What are we gonna do about the Derek Chauvins with the George Floyd's of the world and all of that stuff. About the only reason I brought up the comparison between George Floyd and now this guy Robert Brooks is cause they were both handcuffed, both had their hands behind their back. Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd neck, while several correctional officers were beating the living hell out of Robert Brooks, beating him to death. Both were tortured, one more visibly conspicuous than the other, but both equally dead, murdered.
- [13:44]
Political Commentator 1
What you gonna do about that, Donald Trump? You're not responsible for the officer's actions. Nobody's implying that. I'm not casting blame upon you in any way. I'm simply saying that when the mandate has been handed down, when you've won all the swing states, when you've gained ground on every demographic out there, black, Hispanics, young voters.
- [14:13]
Political Commentator 2
When you've gained ground.
- [14:14]
Political Commentator 1
And inroads, when you have this kind of mandate handed to you on a.
- [14:20]
Political Commentator 2
Silver platter where nobody cared about the impeachment, so nobody cared about the convictions. And they bought everything that you were selling in terms of this being politicized and all of this other stuff. And now you're going back in Office as the 47th President of the United States of America, clearly with a mandate, but clearly with more power, because you got the House and the Senate and you got a damn near cult following that so profound and so potent and so strong that the politicians on your side are scared to go against you, which means the vast majority of times they're going to do what the hell you say.
- [14:58]
Political Commentator 1
You're going to take advantage of this moment.
- [14:59]
Political Commentator 2
Donald Trump.
- [15:02]
Political Commentator 1
I'd like to see Donald Trump call for those officers to be arrested or those correctional officers to be arrested and indicted. I'd like to hear Donald Trump say.
- [15:11]
Political Commentator 2
There is no place in our society.
- [15:13]
Political Commentator 1
For such heinous acts like that. He doesn't give a damn what uniform you're working. His support is applicable to law abiding law enforcement officials who live up to their oath to protect and serve.
- [15:29]
Political Commentator 2
Not.
- [15:30]
Political Commentator 1
To be criminals themselves. You can do it in all likelihood, which H1B program. You can do it in all likelihood when it comes to tariffs. You could do it in all likelihood when it comes to a plethora of other issues. How about this? There's violence in the streets of America. You want to make sure those people are dealt with, fair enough. But you don't support a dude being handcuffed and beaten to death by correctional facility by correction officers. On camera there's no way to condone that, speak against that kind of stuff. Let the minorities, the desolate and the disenfranchised in this country, people who are powerless to go up against the system itself. Let them know that you're the head of the system that's in place now, and you're going to do what you can to change what has ailed the minority communities in this country from stuff like this continuing to happen. You got a chance, Donald Trump. You got a chance to get even more Democrats to shift over to the center and possibly even over to you, if you make sure that your mentality of that strong arm of the law applies to all corruption, not just those who voted against you. In all likelihood, just a thought, something to consider as the new year 2025 approaches and you're, as of right now, about 23 days removed from entering the White House again as President of the United States.
- [17:47]
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- [18:18]
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