Trump team bans social media amid visa clash, Cabinet tensions

ISTANBUL

US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has imposed a strict social media ban on Cabinet nominees as the incoming administration faces growing tensions within MAGA ranks over H-1B visas for skilled immigrants.

"All intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel," warned Trump’s Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in a memo, according to The New York Post.

"No member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself."

This directive coincides with intensifying clashes over H-1B visas, which allow skilled foreign workers to take up crucial roles in industries such as technology.

Elon Musk, a Trump ally and billionaire entrepreneur, has publicly supported the program, calling foreign talent essential for innovation.

However, his position has triggered backlash from Trump loyalists, including right-wing commentator Laura Loomer, who criticized Musk as a "welfare queen" on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast, accusing him of exploiting taxpayer subsidies while sidelining American workers.

Cabinet picks face Senate scrutiny

Trump recently expressed support for H-1B visas, despite previously labeling them "very bad" and "unfair" to Americans. This shift in stance has caused frustration among some of his MAGA supporters.

Musk, who is set to co-chair Trump’s newly announced Department of Government Efficiency alongside former GOP primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, has continued to defend skilled immigration.

Ramaswamy, aligning with Musk’s views, argued on social media that "a culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ... will not produce the best engineers."

Meanwhile, Trump’s Cabinet picks, including controversial figures like anti-vaccine advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, are under intense scrutiny ahead of Senate confirmation hearings. With a narrow Republican majority in the Senate, Democrats are aiming to sway GOP votes to block the nominees they oppose.

David Warrington, Trump’s incoming White House counsel, will oversee the team’s social media compliance. Trump has praised Warrington as an "esteemed lawyer and Conservative leader" who has served as his personal attorney and campaign counsel.