Trump Cabinet picks ordered to stay off social media amid ugly MAGA visa battle
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‘All intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel,’ Susie Wiles warned in memo. President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming White House chief of staff has ordered his Cabinet picks not to post on social media without approval from the transition team.
The orders come amid an increasingly vicious MAGA civil war over visas for skilled immigrants. It remains unclear what specifically led to the memo being issued now, but Senate confirmation hearings are set to begin early next year just as the MAGA war is escalating.
Billionaire Trump-backer Elon Musk has vowed he will “go to war” with MAGA Republicans over protecting H-1B visas that allow skilled foreigners to fill significant roles in the tech industry, including in Musk businesses, for up to six years. The South African-born Musk has argued that foreign talent is needed in the tech industry, and endorsed a post on X referring to American workers as “re***ded” (which he has since deleted).
Bannon, Trump’s one-time White House strategist, demanded “reparations” on the program from Musk and other tech leaders for stealing jobs from Americans to give them to H-B1 immigrants. Trump is supporting Musk’s position, to the outrage of many of his supporters who want American jobs, especially top-paying work, for Americans, as they were led to believe Trump supported. Trump lauded the use of H-1B visas on Saturday even as he has slammed them in the past as being “very bad” and “unfair” to Americans.
