Donald Trump at Wednesday's third Republican presidential debate vehemently denied that he ever criticized Mark Zuckerberg for his support of an immigration program to attract foreign IT workers – or that he called Sen. Marco Rubio the "personal senator" of the Facebook founder – but the words came directly from Trump's immigration policy paper.
CNBC moderator Becky Quick questioned Trump on what she said was his criticism of Zuckerberg for wanting to increase H-1B visas issued to attract workers from overseas to fill high-tech jobs.
Trump immediately replied, he was "not at all critical of him, not at all."
"He's complaining about losing all of those talented people," Trump added. "I'm in favor of keeping these talented people and have them work in Silicon Valley. … I'm in favor of the program."
He also denied ever calling Rubio "Mark Zuckergerg's personal senator."
"Where did I come up with this?" Quick asked.
"I don't know, you people write this stuff, I don't know," Trump replied, to laughter from the audience.
Though Quick apologized after Trump's denial, she later in the debate brought up the criticism came right from Trump's website,
Mediaite notes.
Mediaite posted the initial exchange
between Trump and Quick.
In
his policy paper, Trump writes about the H-1B program to attract foreign workers for science, technology, engineering and math jobs, known as STEM jobs.
"We graduate two times more Americans with STEM degrees each year than find STEM jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B program," Trump's position paper asserts.
"More than half of H-1B visas are issued for the program’s lowest allowable wage level, and more than eighty percent for its bottom two. Raising the prevailing wage paid to H-1Bs will force companies to give these coveted entry-level jobs to the existing domestic pool of unemployed native and immigrant workers in the U.S., instead of flying in cheaper workers from overseas.
"This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerberg's personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities."
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