In a recent controversy, Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican presidential candidate, faced significant criticism for his comments suggesting that American workers were not being hired due to their mediocrity.
This came after Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk, both known for their support of H-1B visas, were criticized by influential Trump supporters on X, a social media platform previously known as Twitter.
According to Mediaite, Ramaswamy defended his stance in a post, attributing the hiring of foreign-born and first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans to a cultural issue. He stated, The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over native Americans isnt because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. He further asserted that American culture has been celebrating mediocrity over excellence for decades, a trend he believes has been prevalent since the 90s or even earlier.
Ramaswamy's comments sparked a backlash from social media users across the political spectrum. Nikki Haley, a former adversary of Ramaswamy in the 2024 Republican primary, retorted, There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture. All you have to do is look at the border and see how many want what we have. We should be investing and prioritizing in Americans, not foreign workers.
John Cardillo, a conservative radio host, labeled Ramaswamy's post as one of the most offensive things Ive read. Auron MacIntyre, host of The Blaze, sarcastically commented, Turns out the waste that DOGE wanted to cut from America was Americans. Michael Flynn Jr., son of former Trump adviser Michael Flynn, and Batya Ungar-Sargon, Newsweek opinion editor, also expressed their disapproval, with Ungar-Sargon calling Ramaswamy's argument totally backward and utterly appalling.
Ramaswamy's claim that "jocks" were the problem also drew criticism, with several pointing out that many NASA space program workers fit this description. Meghan McCain, a prominent figure in the media, added her voice to the criticism, stating, Some of us have been telling you Vivek is a con artist since day one.
Last month, President-elect Donald Trump appointed Ramaswamy and Musk to head the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This department is tasked with advising the Trump administration on how to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies. Trump lauded the initiative, saying, It will become, potentially, The Manhattan Project of our time. Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of DOGE for a very long time.
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