Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he was “changing” and “softening” the visa position in his immigration platform because “We need highly skilled people in this country” including “in Silicon Valley” during Thursday’s GOP presidential debate on the Fox News Channel on Thursday.
Trump was asked by moderator Megyn Kelly,” Mr. Trump, your campaign website to this day, argues that more visas for highly skilled workers would ‘decimate’ American workers. However, at the CNBC debate, you spoke enthusiastically in favor of these visas, so which is it?”
He responded, “I’m changing. We need highly skilled people in this country. And if we can’t do it, we’ll get them in. But — and we do need, in Silicon Valley. We absolutely have to have, — so we do need highly skilled. And one of the biggest problems we have, is people go to the best colleges, they’ll go to Harvard, they’ll go to Stanford, they’ll go to Wharton, as soon as they’re finished, they get shoved out. They go — they want to stay in this country. They want to stay here desperately. They’re not able to stay here. For that purpose, we absolutely have to be able to keep the brain power in this country.”
He was then asked, “You are abandoning the position on your website?” He responded, “I’m changing it, and I’m softening the position, because we have to have talented people in this country.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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