U.S. President Donald Trump has reiterated his support for bringing skilled foreign workers into the United States, saying that some industries depend on global expertise that cannot be easily replaced by local labor.
In an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump pushed back against the suggestion that reducing H-1B visa holders and foreign workers would help raise wages for American workers.
He argued that highly technical industries such as defense, energy, and advanced manufacturing require specialized skills that many Americans have yet to develop.
“You have to bring in talent,” he said. “When you don’t have certain talents, people have to learn and you can’t just take someone off the unemployment line and put them into a factory making missiles. It doesn’t work that way.”
He cited an example from Georgia, where authorities recently raided a facility employing South Korean workers experienced in battery manufacturing.
“These are people who have made batteries all their lives,” Trump said. “It’s complicated, dangerous work; there are explosions and problems, and you need that kind of skill to train others. You can’t just replace them overnight.”
The president acknowledged differences with Ingraham, who questioned whether prioritizing foreign labor could undermine efforts to raise wages for American workers. Trump countered that while he supports higher pay and more jobs for Americans, industries investing billions in U.S. factories need specialized skills to function effectively.
“You can’t tell a company investing $10 billion to build a plant that they’ll find everyone they need on the unemployment line,” he said. “That’s not how it works. There’s never been a country like ours we need to stay strong, and part of that strength comes from talent.”
Trump’s remarks reflect an ongoing balancing act between his administration’s tough stance on immigration and the practical needs of industries dependent on global expertise. While his policies have emphasized “America First,” he has repeatedly acknowledged that maintaining competitiveness requires access to skilled labor from abroad.
Trump on Monday also defended the continued enrollment of international students in American universities, calling it “good for business” and vital to sustaining the higher education system. Speaking to Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Trump warned that reducing foreign student numbers would be “financially destructive,” potentially forcing many colleges, including historically Black and smaller institutions, to close.
“You don’t want to cut half of the people, half of the students from all over the world that are coming into our country to destroy our entire university and college system. I don’t want to do that,” he said. “I actually think it’s good to have outside countries. Look, I want to be able to get along with the world.”
He stressed the economic stakes, noting that foreign students pay “more than double” domestic tuition and contribute trillions to the U.S. economy. “It’s not that I want them, but I view it as a business,” he added.
Trump’s comments come despite past administration actions that revoked thousands of visas, imposed tougher screening, and proposed caps on international enrolments through the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” Harvard University and other institutions have since challenged such measures in court.
According to the OECD, India remains the second-largest source of international students globally, with over 330,000 Indians studying in the U.S. during the 2023–2024 academic year, making India the top contributor to American higher education.