JD Vance Forced to Eat His Words Immediately After Trashing Microsoft

The vice president attacked Microsoft on the same day Trump is planning to give a top award to its CEO.

Vice President JD Vance was forced to eat his words in real time, accusing Microsoft of hiring too many foreign workers on the same day President Trump plans to award Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Vance criticized Microsoft while announcing the tech company would be temporarily suspended from sponsoring H-1B visa workers seeking green cards.

“We obviously want you to thrive in the United States of America. We want people to invest in the United States of America. Particularly the American technology sector, we’re the bigger boosters of your industry. We want you to continue to grow and to employ … American workers,” Vance said at his Thursday morning news conference. “So our message to Microsoft is, ‘You’re a great American company, but you’ve got to hire great American workers. You cannot lay off American workers and then replace them with foreign indentured servants.’”

This is a common argument against the H-1B work visa program, which allows foreign professionals to work in the United States.

Microsoft has abused the US visa program, @VP Vance says. "You bring in indentured servants from outside the country, you lay off American workers, and if you're a corporation, you make a ton of money by undercutting the wages of American workers, replacing them with people who, frankly, shouldn't be in the United States of America to begin with," he said. Vance called for Congress to reform H1B program.— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 8, 2026

Microsoft has abused the US visa program, @VP Vance says. "You bring in indentured servants from outside the country, you lay off American workers, and if you're a corporation, you make a ton of money by undercutting the wages of American workers, replacing them with people who, frankly, shouldn't be in the United States of America to begin with," he said. Vance called for Congress to reform H1B program.

Vance was questioned about the ironic timing of his comment just minutes later, and tried to have it both ways.

“You had some harsh words for Microsoft at the top of your speech just then,” a reporter raised. “In that case, why is President Trump awarding the nation’s top technological medal to the CEO of Microsoft this afternoon?”

“Microsoft is a great American company, and we have a great relationship with them, they do a lot of important things. They also laid off 6,000 American workers while replacing them with 6,300 H-1Bs,” Vance replied. “And our message to Microsoft is not that we wanna harm your company, it’s that we want your company to thrive, but we want it to thrive by employing and empowering your fellow Americans.”

Q: You had some harsh words for Microsoft at the job of your speech, so why is Trump today awarding the nation's top tech medal to Microsoft's CEO? JD VANCE: Microsoft is a great American company. They also laid off 6,000 Americans workers while replacing them with 6,300 H-1Bs. https://t.co/39KwDNTe62— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2026

Q: You had some harsh words for Microsoft at the job of your speech, so why is Trump today awarding the nation's top tech medal to Microsoft's CEO? JD VANCE: Microsoft is a great American company. They also laid off 6,000 Americans workers while........

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