Donald Trump happily declares he's changing his position on visas

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Geoff Robins/AFP/Getty Images)

Donald Trump announced at Thursday's GOP debate that he is softening his position on allowing highly-skilled foreign workers into the country on visas, saying the United States needs to have "talented people."

Moderator Megyn Kelly pointed out that Trump's website states more visas for highly-skilled workers would "decimate American workers," but at a previous debate, Trump spoke "enthusiastically" in favor of more visas. "I'm changing," Trump responded. "We need highly-skilled people in this country and if we can't do it, we'll bring them in." Silicon Valley "absolutely" needs these workers, he said, and the "biggest problem we have is people go to the best colleges — they'll go to Harvard, they'll go to Stanford, they'll go to Wharton — as soon as they're finished they get shoved out. They want to stay in this country, want to stay here desperately, but are not able to stay here. For that purpose we absolutely have to be able to keep brain power in this country."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.