DeSantis World Goes To War With H1B Visas As Trump Faces Blowback From Base

One of President Donald Trump’s old rivals is seemingly moving to seize on MAGA’s dissatisfaction with the president’s recent statements on H1-B visas.

Trump recently sat down with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who pressed him on his H-1B visa plan. The president argued that America needs to import more people because current citizens are not skilled or talented enough to do certain jobs. (RELATED: Tech Jobs Flee California As H-1Bs, Crime, Taxes, And Automation Drive Workers Out)

Trump’s endorsed candidate for Florida governor, Rep. Byron Donalds, recently came out against the H1-B visa program in an interview. However, DeSantis and his allies seem to be calling into question why Republicans in Congress haven’t moved to get rid of the policy.

“Congress is the only institution in this country that can end H-1B indentured servitude replacement of American workers. So when sitting members of congress talk about how they want to ‘end H-1B’, I wonder why they haven’t introduced any legislation that would do that?” Christina Pushaw, a long-time DeSantis ally, wrote Nov. 12 on X.

If they were Floridians, they would not need H-1B visas to work here. https://t.co/RfjIV6rt39

— Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) November 13, 2025

Deeds, not words.

Unfortunately for the American people, many in Congress are more focused on being influencers first and legislators second. https://t.co/YDuCvKb0kA

— Jay Collins (@JayCollinsFL) November 13, 2025

The governor responded to Pushaw’s tweet, claiming that Republicans in Congress who have spoken out about H1-B visas without proposing policy to address them are using “h0llow rhetoric.”

“Republicans have a majority in Congress and could legislate elimination of H1B (and any programs designed to import cheap foreign labor). Deeds, not words, are what matter,” DeSantis wrote.

Yet another example of how the H1B talking points are nonsense. https://t.co/biz8YXBFmA

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 13, 2025

Donalds, who is running for governor and has talked about having a tense relationship with DeSantis, told Benny Johnson in a Nov. 12 interview that America has the talent but that citizens haven’t been “trained right in our education system,” The Floridian reported. He also called for America to return to a “quota” immigration system. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump, DeSantis Could Be Destined For Head-To-Head Rematch In Key GOP Primary)

“The H-1B system is a complete scam. We now know that to be the case,” Donalds told Johnson. “We have to also look at the entire immigration visa framework. We have like 56 visas. They all need a complete overhaul,  like chain migration needs to go.”

Donalds entered the race in February and has been viewed as the front runner ever since. His only declared Republican opponent is former Republican Florida State House Speaker Paul Renner, who is polling under 3%. In recent days, James Fishback, an investor, has said he will formally announce his bid for governor.

Fishback has since attacked Donalds on X, calling him “H-1Byron Donalds” and pointing to Elon Musk’s endorsement of the Florida congressman. Musk voiced his support for the program ahead of entering the administration.

BREAKING: @ElonMusk has endorsed Byron Donalds for Florida Governor. He is backing H-1Byron because they both love H-1Bs, which is to say they both hate talented American workers. We can never accept this attack on our incredible workers in Florida. pic.twitter.com/mzI3jM9Cit

— James Fishback (@j_fishback) November 14, 2025

Other Republican politicians have voiced similar stances against H1-B visas in recent days. Republican Indiana Sen. Jim Banks penned an opinion piece in The Blaze calling them “broken.” He argued the process has become a “scam” in a post promoting the piece.

Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green announced Thursday on X that she is announcing a bill to phase out the H1-B visa program.

🚨I am introducing a bill to END the mass replacement of American workers by aggressively phasing out the H1B program.

Big Tech, AI giants, hospitals, and industries across the board have abused the H-1B system to cut out our own people.

Americans are the most talented people… pic.twitter.com/m73Wp1MMiw

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 13, 2025

“No more H1-Bs is a no-brainer. Let’s get it done,” Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles tweeted.