Donald Trump may fear “king of the world” Elon Musk, says Laura Loomer

President-elect Donald Trump may be afraid of upsetting the “king of the world” Elon Musk, right-wing activist Laura Loomer has suggested.

Loomer, a Trump loyalist, said the billionaire’s huge financial contribution to the Republican‘s reelection campaign may be the reason the president-elect is siding with Musk in a dispute over H-1B visas.

“This is the problem when you allow for a billionaire to make a $200 million donation and so maybe we really do need to have campaign finance regulations in this country,” Loomer told Eric Bolling, a former Fox News host, on his show.

“I love President Trump, I’m not saying that President Trump is bought and paid for—but it sounds like people are scared of crossing the king, the king of the world, Elon Musk, the monarch.”

Newsweek has contacted Loomer for comment via a text message and a Trump spokesperson for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Loomer’s comments come as Trump’s coalition has split in a debate over immigration and H-1B visas, which allows American companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations.

Musk has vowed to go to “war” to defend the visa program, saying it is a critical tool for bringing skilled workers to the U.S. to work in the tech industry. Trump supporters who champion the president-elect’s hardline immigration policies have criticized the H-1B program, saying it comes at the cost of American workers.

Trump, who has previously criticized H-1B visas and restricted the program in his first term, praised the visas in an interview on Saturday.

What To Know

The debate began after Loomer, who has previously been called out for racist comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his incoming administration, saying Krishnan’s views were “in direct opposition to Trump’s America First Agenda.”

Krishnan has advocated for raising country-specific caps on green cards and bringing more skilled workers to the U.S.

Musk, who has benefited from the H-1B visa program himself, defended the tech industry’s need to bring in workers from abroad. He wrote on X, a social media platform he owns, that a “shortage of excellent engineering talent” is a “fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.”

Vivek Ramaswamy, a fellow entrepreneur who Trump has tapped alongside Musk to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, also weighed in, saying U.S. culture has “venerated mediocrity over excellence” and does “not produce the best engineers.”

As the debate raged, Musk accused Loomer of “trolling for attention,” while she accused Musk of buying influence in the incoming administration and restricting her account on X as retaliation for her criticism.

What People Are Saying

Loomer said on Bolling’s show: “Nobody wants to cross [Musk], the richest man in the world who controls access to social media, the digital town square and now basically has everybody in a codependent abusive relationship like they’re a bunch of junkies.”

“Because he’s been able to monetize the platform so that all the conservatives using his platform are essentially addicted… he understands now that he’s created this codependent, junkie versus supplier relationship where if you question or if you try to criticize Elon Musk, you will be demonetized.”

Trump told the New York Post on Saturday: “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.”

Musk wrote on X on Friday: “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B.

“Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”

What’s Next

Trump has not said whether he would pursue any changes to the H-1B visa program after he returns to office on January 20.

While his plans to crack down on illegal immigration by carrying out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history have broad support from his base, he could struggle to placate supporters on both sides of the debate on legal immigration and H-1B visas.