Special Poll
Nikki Haley, the former U.N. Ambassador, criticized her former GOP presidential rival Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday for his comments about American culture being to blame for a shortage of U.S.-born engineers.
Haley strongly disagreed with Ramaswamy’s assertion, stating, “There is nothing wrong with American workers or American culture.” She pointed out that the desire for American opportunities is clear by the number of people trying to enter the country. In her post on social media, Haley emphasized that the focus should be on investing in American workers rather than relying on foreign workers.
Ramaswamy, who is set to co-chair the “Department of Government Efficiency” alongside Elon Musk, had argued that Silicon Valley’s preference for foreign-born engineers stems from a cultural shift in the U.S. He suggested that American culture has placed too much value on mediocrity and not enough on excellence. He also pointed out that this cultural trend—celebrating popularity over academic or intellectual achievement—has affected the nation’s ability to produce top engineering talent.
Ramaswamy added that he hoped America’s culture would experience a “wake-up moment,” similar to the one during the space race, which he called a “Sputnik moment,” referring to the time when the U.S. was challenged to outpace Soviet advancements.
This public disagreement between Haley and Ramaswamy reflects the ongoing tensions between different factions of the Republican Party, particularly over immigration. While both have supported Trump’s immigration policies, tech figures like Ramaswamy and Musk have also advocated for the importance of attracting highly skilled immigrants to the industry. Musk, for his part, reiterated that while he would prefer to hire Americans, the shortage of talented engineers makes it challenging to rely solely on U.S.-born workers.