Dem megadonor Reed Hastings praises Trump’s H-1B visa policy as ‘great solution for high-value jobs’

WASHINGTON, DC: Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix and a prominent Democratic donor, praised President Donald Trump’s executive order imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applicants.

The Democratic megadonor said on Sunday, September 21, that implementing the visa fee would ensure visas are used for "very high-value jobs," eliminate the visa lottery system, and provide more certainty for employers. 

Reed Hastings says policy will ensure H1-B visa is used for high-value jobs

The Netflix co-founder took to X and wrote, "I've worked on H1-B politics for 30 years. Trump's $100k per year tax is a great solution. It will mean H1-B is used just for very high-value jobs, which will mean no lottery needed, and more certainty for those jobs."

Hastings’ praise for President Trump comes as a surprise, given his history as a major Democratic donor. He donated $7 million to a PAC closely aligned with former Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed 2024 presidential campaign. 

Hastings and his wife have contributed more than $20 million to the Democratic Party in recent years, making him one of its biggest donors.

He also gave $1.5 million to former President Joe Biden in 2020 and $100,000 in 2024, before emerging as one of his most influential backers.

The H-1B program allows foreign nationals employed in specialty occupations, such as technology and engineering, to enter the US workforce. Each year, more than 400,000 people apply for the program, which offers only about 85,000 spots.

Prominent Trump backers touted H-1B visa policy

Prominent tech leaders and Trump supporters, including SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, a former H-1B visa holder, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have publicly touted the H-1B visa program as a legal immigration route to fill gaps in key industries.

Ramaswamy notably defended his support of the policy in a viral December 2024 post, claiming that the US does "not produce the best engineers." 

He wrote, "The reason top tech companies often hire foreign-born & first-generation engineers over 'native' Americans isn’t because of an innate American IQ deficit (a lazy & wrong explanation). A key part of it comes down to the c-word: culture. Tough questions demand tough answers & if we’re really serious about fixing the problem, we have to confront the TRUTH."

Similarly, Musk said in an X post, "There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent. It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley."

However, some prominent conservatives have criticized the program. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon blasted "big tech oligarchs" for supporting the H-1B program on his 'War Room' podcast in December 2024.