Washington, January 22: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he likes both sides of the argument on H-1B foreign guest workers' visa, noting that he likes "very competent people" coming into the country and that he has used the programme. "I like both sides of the argument, but I also like very competent people coming into our country, even if that involves them training and helping other people that may not have the qualifications they do. But I don't want to stop -- and I'm not just talking about engineers, I'm talking about people at all levels," Trump told reporters at the White House during a joint news conference with Oracle CTO Larry Ellison, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son, and Open AI CEO Sam Altman. H-1B Visa Under Trump 2.0: Will Donald Trump's Return Impact Indian Techies Working in US With H-1B Visas? Know Where US President, Elon Musk and His Other Supporters Stand on Issue of Hiring Foreign Talent.

The president was responding to a question on the ongoing debate on H-1B visa within his support base. While his close confidants like Elon Musk, the Tesla owner, supports H-1B visa as it brings in qualified tech professionals, many of his supporters oppose it arguing that it takes away jobs from Americans. "We want competent people coming into our country. And H-1B, I know the programme very well. I use the programme. Maître d', wine experts, even waiters, high-quality waiters -- you've got to get the best people. People like Larry, he needs engineers, Masa also needs... they need engineers like nobody's ever needed them," Trump said. US Birthright Citizenship Rules Changed: Who Will Not Get US Citizenship After Donald Trump's Executive Order? What Does It Mean for Indian Parents on Temporary Visas Like H-1B?.

'I Like Both Sides of Argument on H-1B'

"So, we have to have quality people coming in. Now by doing that, we're expanding businesses and that takes care of everybody. So I'm sort of on both sides of the argument, but what I really do feel is that we have to let really competent people, great people, come into our country. And we do that through the H-1B programme," Trump said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)