President Donald Trump ignited a wave of MAGA criticism in defending the use of the H-1B visa program, telling an interviewer the United States needs to "bring in talent" and pushing back on the idea that the country already has enough talented workers.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham questioned Trump on the H-1B visas this week, saying they hurt wages for American workers.

"I agree but you do also have to bring in talent," Trump said.

When Ingraham countered that "we have plenty of talented people," Trump responded "no you don’t."

"You don’t have certain talents," he added.

Trump’s comments align with the view of many business leaders, especially in the tech industry, who have used the H-1B program to bolster their skilled workforce. The issue has been a sore spot for MAGA, though, and a point of tension for the Trump administration in the past.

Former Trump adviser Elon Musk, a tech billionaire, advocated for the H1-B program, drawing a rebuke from Steve Bannon, who served as White House chief strategist during Trump’s first term and is a prominent MAGA figure.

Trump’s comments to Ingraham about American workers "broke everyone's heart," Mike Cernovich, a prominent conservative commentator, wrote on social media.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote in a Nov. 12 social media post that "I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H1Bs."

Savanah Hernandez, a contributor to the conservative group Turning Point USA, called Trump’s comments "disheartening."

"Trump needs to get out of his bubble and back on the ground listening to the American people who elected him to work for us," Hernandez wrote on X. "His H-1B comment shows how out of touch with the base he has become."

Trump has made it harder to get H-1B visas, ordering in September that every application cost $100,000. But his continued defense of the program is one of the few immigration issues where he is at odds with parts of his MAGA base.

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers called the $100,000 fee a "significant first step to stop abuses in the system and ensure American workers are no longer replaced by lower-paid foreign labor."

The federal government caps new H-1B visas to 65,000, with an additional 20,000 visas for people who have earned a master’s degree or higher from an American higher education institution.

The visa category lets employers seek workers who are highly educated − at least a bachelor’s degree − to perform in "specialty occupations," according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

USCIS said people are usually admitted for up to three years, but it can be extended to six years.

This story has been updated to add new information.

Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says H-1B visas needed because of lack of US talent, igniting MAGA furor

Reporting by Zac Anderson, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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