The Tesla billionaire, chosen by Donald Trump to be co-head of his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has infuriated anti-immigration elements of the Republican Party by defending the H-1B visa, which permits highly educated foreigners to work in the US for up to six years.

Less than a month before Donald Trump returns to office, two of his most ardent allies have plunged into a fierce online debate over immigration, specifically the government’s visa program that allows American companies to hire so-called “highly skilled” foreign workers.

We may be seeing some of the first major fissures forming in the Trump-Musk dalliance. Over the holiday week, Elon Musk entered into a heated online debate with notable Trump figure and culture warrior Laura Loomer over the president-elect's immigration policy,