A MAGA civil war is breaking out
+ the Walmart Birkin, RIP Gators Daily, Julia Fox + Hunter Biden, the biggest online moments of 2024, and Matthew McConaughey's secret tuna salad recipe
For the past 48 hours, the pro-Trump internet has been engaged in a full on meltdown over immigration.
The drama began on Thursday after a debate kicked off on Twitter about H-1B visas and America’s dependence on foreign tech workers, with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on one side and scores of pro-Trump influencers, MAGA-loyalists and former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley on the other.
Musk got so heated over the issue that he promised to "go to war" over it and began removing blue check marks and monetization capabilities of MAGA accounts that were critical of his support for H-1B visas. A bunch of Musk’s critics were also unceremoniously suspended. While the debate might seem niche at first glance, it shows a crucial fracture emerging in the MAGA coalition.
Musk's role as one of the world’s richest men and owner of X has placed him in a uniquely influential position within Trump’s circle. He, along with fellow Silicon Valley magnate David Sacks, has been a die hard supporter of Trump. But Silicon Valley billionaires' tech-first agenda requires a steady supply of workers, and many of those essential tech workers are on H-1B visas, a type of visa that allows U.S. companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in fields like tech, engineering, or science
But Musk and the rest of Silicon Valley's vocal defense of H-1B visas, has set them on a collision course with MAGA’s most vocal influencers. Trump’s movement, built on promises of mass deportation, draconian immigration policies, and an “America First” stance, is finally being forced to grapple with the influence of tech billionaires whose priorities often run counter to their nationalist ethos.
“The number of people who are super talented engineers AND super motivated in the USA is far too low," Musk posted on X, arguing for importing more foreign workers.
Ramaswamy backed him up in a bizarre tweet full of 90s cultural references that reads like it was written by someone bullied in high school. He claimed that American culture stifles innovation, posting that “a culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ... will not produce the best engineers. A culture that venerates Cory from Boy Meets World over Screech from Saved by the Bell... will not produce the best engineers.”
For years, the tech industry has relied on H-1B visas to recruit foreign talent, especially in engineering and computer science. To execs like Musk, these visas are essential for keeping American companies competitive on the global stage. Musk, who claims that he himself once held an H-1B visa, tweeted on Thursday, “If you want your TEAM to win… you need to recruit top talent wherever they may be. That enables the whole TEAM to win.”
But that logic doesn’t fly with the grassroots MAGA base, which has long viewed immigration—both legal and illegal—as a threat to American jobs. Trump’s original campaign capitalized on this sentiment, turning immigration into a zero-sum game where any benefit to foreign workers is seen as a loss for American citizens. Now, as Trump’s Silicon Valley allies push their pro-H-1B agenda, pro-Trump diehards are feeling betrayed.
Pro-Trump influencer and activist Laura Loomer started the whole meltdown by criticizing Trump's appointment of Sriram Krishnan, a right wing Indian American venture capitalist, to work on AI initiatives.
Loomer posted that she was worried about the influence Krishnan, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in India, would have on Trump's immigration policies. She posted that Krishnan holds "views that are in direct opposition to Trump’s America First agenda" and implied that Silicon Valley tech elites were basically not racist enough, so they were steering Trump’s administration away from his nationalist roots. "Our country was built by white Europeans, actually, not third world invaders from India," she posted
Loomer immediately received a tidal wave of support. “If the tech industry needs workers, invest in our education system,” Nikki Haley posted to X on Friday. “Invest in our American workforce. We must invest in Americans first before looking elsewhere.”
Musk spent all Thursday night and Friday fighting aggressively with MAGA figures. As pro-Trump Substacker Jessica Reed Kraus wrote on Friday, "In short, many within MAGA don’t trust or want tech billionaires infiltrating their movement."
In retaliation, Musk has been stripping pro-Trump influencers of their blue verification badges, removing their ability to monetize, and suspending their accounts.
Loomer claimed on Thursday that Musk had stripped her verified status on X and blocked her ability to monetize through paying subscribers—all because she publicly opposed his pro-H-1B visa stance. “Elon Musk is a free speech fraud,” Loomer posted after regaining access to her account. Conservative PAC leaders echoed her, claiming Musk intentionally stripped verification badges from over 50 affiliated accounts.
This isn’t just a policy disagreement, it’s a cultural divide. Trump’s base has always been skeptical of Silicon Valley’s wealth and influence. Musk and his tech allies represent a much more global vision for America that is ultimately a direct challenge to the MAGA ethos of protecting American jobs and sovereignty above all else. And this immigration fight is the first major instance of Trump’s coalition fracturing under the weight of its own contradictions since he was reelected in November.
“Elon is just saying what every other Republican employer is about to say in 2025 - deport everyone else’s employees, but not mine because I really need them,” posted Ron Filipkowski, a Democratic pundit.
The drama also underscores how fragile Trump’s coalition has become. As Musk and other tech leaders gain influence in Trump’s orbit, they’re reshaping the movement in ways that could ultimately alienate its core supporters. The debate over H-1B visas is a proxy for a larger question: What does it actually mean to be “America First” in 2024?
“Tech oligarchs are gonna win [this battle] hands down,” one commentator posted on X. “MAGA plebes have served their purpose of getting Trump elected, now will be pushed aside for the US headlong plunge into Techno Feudalism future.”
So far, Trump hasn’t weighed in, but many conservative influencers on X are feeling done with Musk.
“[Musk] has divided an entire movement,” posted Kristen Ruby, a right wing influencer. “I can’t think of anyone more destructive to the Republican base than him.”
The biggest moments on the internet in 2024
2024 was wild! Brain rot was the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year, the bill banning TikTok passed, meme coins went bonkers, we all fell in love with a hippo, the Costco Guys and Hawk Tuah girl were everywhere.
To discuss 2024’s biggest online moments I brought Sam Sanders, host of the Sam Sanders Show on KCRW, in to join this week’s episode of my podcast Power User. Watch below and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel!
More fun stuff
The hottest new status symbol is the Walmart Birkin bag (a knockoff of the iconic Hermes version). The bag is already out of stock, but much like the real Birkin, you can sign up for the waitlist.
Kim Kardashian is no longer managing SKKY Partners, the private equity firm she co-founded in 2022.
Trump just filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court asking for the app not to be banned so that he can take power and "save" it.
A great essay on how Netflix and the streaming model have changed film and television for the worse.
The indie sleeze takedown you’ve been waiting for.
SF bartenders are currently being terrorized by a serial tab-skipper known only as "Jared." There are dozens of posts on Facebook about him and one bartender has compiled an entire Google map to track Jared sightings.
I wrote an article for Sherwood on how OpenAI is the next Visa, buttering up the government to retain a monopoly.
After six years, Gators Daily, a Twitter account known for posting daily content about alligators, is shutting down operations. The account will continue their infamous “flat fuck Friday” posts indefinitely, but the posts will be automated.
Shane Smith is going down his own personal rabbit hole. The Vice founder has launched a show investigating “disinformation” that actually promotes it.
Niki DeMar, one half of the iconic twin YouTube duo Niki and Gabi, has been doing a series on TikTok where she exposes all the behind-the-scenes details of her years as a YouTube star. The series is a great peek into what it’s really like to really work as an influencer, including filming staged holiday content, like pretending to open Christmas presents, weeks in advance.
An Amtrak train left DC without any of its passengers because of their idiotic boarding procedure where they don’t let anyone wait on the platform.
The Daily Mail published an in-depth data visualization showing how Leonardo DiCaprio only dates women in their 20s.
PlasticList—a project to quantify plastics found in specific foods we eat—was just published. Plastic chemicals were found in 86% of the foods tested.
69 percent of Americans believe that health insurance claim denials are at least partially responsible for the UnitedHealthcare CEO's death.
But don’t talk about that online! Because if you’re a social media user who’s expressed anything other than total condemnation for the murder of UnitedHealth’s CEO, counterterrorism authorities might consider you an “extremist" per an NYPD intel report.
An “incredibly delightful” profile of Julia Child published in 1974, crammed with historical details about her work, the start of her PBS show in 1962, and spending 10 years writing a book only to have it rejected by publishers.
Timothée Chalamet revealed that he’s a day one Nikki Minaj stan and owes his career to rapper Lil B the BasedGod in a wonderful hour-long interview with Canadian YouTuber Nardwuar.
Chalamet and his co-star Elle Fanning were also interviewed by queer media icon Tracy Gilchrist, and they recreated the Ariana Grande finger grab.
Gen Z content creator Wisdom Kaye “styled Christmas” and knocked it out of the park, as usual.
Hobby Lobby is selling bizarre AI art decor.
Matthew “king of tuna salad” McConaughey revealed his prized tuna salad recipe.
The energy required for AI via data centers may be affecting your home appliances.
One of three Pop Tarts will be sacrificed and eaten during today’s Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Can we please ban LED headlights already?
Julia Fox and Hunter Biden hung out at a fashion event.
For more great content follow my meme page, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and join my Instagram broadcast channel where I share links all week long.
Listen to my podcast Power User on Apple Podcasts:
Or follow Power User on Spotify:
It would be interesting to find out if “engineers” are really required for these jobs, as claimed by Elon. There are a lot of “tech” jobs now that consist of manning call centers, not designing either software or hardware.
At least I'm happy to note that you and Laura Loomer now, bizarrely, have that in common that you, for each of your equally sickening reasons, have a love for Louis Maggione. Ain't that cute. The world is sick, so are the people populating it (at least the far right / far left, in equal portions.