White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Washington AP=Yonhap NewsThe White House stated that President Donald Trump wants foreign companies investing in the U.S. in areas like batteries to bring foreign workers to the U.S. during the construction phase of their manufacturing facilities in the country.

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, responded to this question when meeting with reporters at the White House on the 24th (local time), to the question, "'Is it MAGA (Make America Great Again – President Trump's political slogan and strong supporter base) spirit to support American workers being replaced by H-1B visa holders?'"

Jean-Pierre stated, "The President does not support American workers being replaced," and pointed out to the reporter who asked the question, "You are distorting the President's remarks."

After explaining President Trump's tariffs and policies for the revitalization of American manufacturing, he said, "Regarding the H-1B visa issue, the President has a very subtle yet common-sense view. He wants to see foreign companies, which are investing trillions of dollars in the U.S., bring in foreign workers to create very specialized fields like batteries."

Jean-Pierre added, "The President wants to see that in the initial stages of building and operating manufacturing facilities and plants. However, ultimately, the President always wants to see American workers in those jobs."

He also added, "The President has told foreign companies investing in the U.S. that they must hire our citizens to do business in America. Therefore, there has been a lot of misunderstanding about the President's position."

The 'very specialized fields like batteries' mentioned by Press Secretary Jean-Pierre appear to refer to the construction site of a joint battery plant by Hyundai Motor Company and LG Energy Solution, where the collective detention of Koreans occurred in Georgia.

However, it is also interpreted that President Trump intends to de-escalate the growing dissatisfaction among his core supporters, as he has recently emphasized the necessity of the H-1B visa for foreign professionals to enter the U.S. in response to this incident.

Previously, in an interview with Fox News on the 11th, President Trump stated regarding the detention incident in Georgia, "They intended to bring in about 500 to 600 workers in the initial stages to produce batteries and teach others how to do it. But they (immigration authorities) were trying to expel them from the country," emphasizing the inevitability of H-1B visa holders in specific fields working in the U.S.

Yonhap News