She emphasised that the president does not support replacing American workers with H-1B visa holders.
Leavitt explained that Trump’s position is “nuanced and common sense,” noting that foreign specialists may initially be needed when international companies invest billions in the United States to establish high-tech manufacturing facilities, such as battery or semiconductor factories. These workers, she said, help launch operations in “very niche” areas that may require specialised expertise not immediately available in the domestic workforce.
The press secretary stressed that, ultimately, the administration’s goal is to ensure American workers fill these roles once production ramps up. Trump himself previously noted that complex facilities, like computer chip factories, cannot simply hire from local unemployment lines and require skilled personnel to train domestic employees.
At the US-Saudi Investment Forum last week, Trump said he welcomed the foreign workers brought in during this initial phase. “They’re going to teach our people how to make computer chips, and in a short period of time, our people are going to be doing great,” he stated, adding that the foreign specialists would eventually return home after transferring their knowledge to the American workforce.
