Why Trump’s AI advisor pick Sriram Krishnan is facing backlash from far-right activists

Sriram Krishnan, the Chennai-born tech expert recently appointed as Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence (AI) by US President-elect Donald Trump, has been facing racist online attacks from far-right groups. These groups and individuals have accused Krishnan and other Indian Americans of “stealing jobs from Americans”. Despite the backlash, the appointment has won the support of many industry leaders, including Elon Musk.Online backlash

At the heart of this backlash is the country’s immigration policy. Krishnan has publicly advocated for removing the per-country cap on H-1B visas and green cards to get and retain top talent worldwide, including from India.The barrage of online hate comments began with a viral post on X, where a user posted Krishnan’s picture with the caption, “Did any of yall vote for this Indian to run America?”

“No matter what Sriram Krishnan says, he is INDIA First. No matter what the people around him say. Their only goal is to import more Indians to REPLACE American Workers,” his post read.

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One user wrote, “Sriram Krishnan’s appointment has provoked the sort of online racism I haven’t seen since 9-11… he’s not the first Indian in a senior White House role… what’s going on?”

Another post said it is “disgusting how Trump and co want to flood America with Indians as long as they have a degree.”

Trump’s fans step back

MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters, another name for Trump followers, have also criticised Krishnan’s nomination, with activist Laura Loomer accusing him of betraying the “America First” agenda. She argued that his support for removing country caps on green cards would disproportionately benefit workers from populous countries like India, potentially disadvantaging American STEM graduates.

“It’s alarming to see the number of career leftists who are now being appointed to serve in Trump’s admin when they share views that are in direct opposition to Trump’s America First agenda,” she said.

Loomer has been against the H-1B visa policy, claiming that Musk’s platform X is censoring her views on the same.

Drumming up support

On the other hand, some from the policy and tech circles also lent support to Krishnan. David Sacks, a prominent Silicon Valley entrepreneur and ally of Krishnan, stepped forward to defend his friend. “Sriram has been a US citizen for a decade. He’s not ‘running America.’ He’s advising on AI policy,” he said on X.

Musk said on X that the views of those opposing Krishnan’s stand on immigration have a “fixed pie” fallacy, calling it “wrong-headed” economic thinking.

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna also highlighted that Krishnan’s appointment reflects the values of American exceptionalism, and is not a threat to it.

H-1B visa

The H-1B visa is at the centre of this controversy. It is a non-immigrant visa in the US that allows the country’s employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations. Critics like Loomer argue that the H-1B program is vulnerable to abuse, with some employers using it to hire cheaper foreign labour instead of American workers.