US politics newsletter - Among Trump allies, the infighting begins

By Gram Slattery

Jan 2 (Reuters) - During the December holidays, most Americans try to unplug, relax and steer clear of work and politics. But Donald Trump’s closest allies spent the last week in a nasty public feud over immigration policy, a debate that laid bare serious ideological fissures within his coalition. And on New Year’s Day, Americans woke up to an apparent terror attack in New Orleans, an incident that puts homeland security in the spotlight weeks before the transition.

I'm Gram Slattery, a national political reporter for Reuters, who has covered Trump for two years. During that time, I have seen the president-elect cobble together an unusual coalition, ranging from blue-collar workers to rich technologists.

For such a heterogeneous base, the policy infighting had been impressively muted ahead of the election. Over the holidays, the knives finally came out.

It all started when far-right activists criticized Trump's selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American, as an adviser on artificial intelligence, arguing Krishnan would have influence on Trump's immigration policies.

The subsequent debate centered on H-1B visas, designed for highly skilled workers that the tech industry taps heavily to import labor from India, China and elsewhere. Billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk, a former H1-B holder whose companies regularly sponsor the visas, said the U.S.’s dearth of engineering talent made the program crucial. Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump's choice to co-chair a government efficiency commission with Musk, took a swipe at American culture which he said, "has venerated mediocrity over excellence."

Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump confidante, was among several high-profile conservatives who shot back, criticizing "big tech oligarchs" for supporting the H1-B program at the expense of native-born workers and casting immigration as a threat to Western civilization.

Trump later came out in favor of H1-Bs, though his 2017-2021 administration took steps to tamp down on their use.

The H1-B debate belies a deeper division that has been stewing for some time and threatens to metastasize into a civil war during Trump's coming administration.

On one side is Trump's white, working-class, populist voter base, nicknamed ‘Old MAGA,’ who are deeply skeptical of corporate power and immigration in general, and were promised better economic opportunities by Trump.

On the other side is ‘New MAGA’ -- Musk and many of the wealthy technologists that backed Trump this election, who argue they need to import skilled workers because the U.S. doesn’t have enough. It's too early to say which faction will win out, the voter base or the deep pockets.

As that fight raged, Democratic former President Jimmy Carter, who was in office for one term from 1977 to 1981, died at the age of 100 on Sunday, provoking an outpouring of condolences from U.S. and foreign leaders.

He was dogged during his time in office by an economic recession, persistent unpopularity and the Iran hostage crisis. But he was considered an exemplary citizen after his presidency, working for decades on humanitarian causes and receiving a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

New battles are ahead for Republicans: House Speaker Mike Johnson faces a Friday vote on whether his conference will keep him in the lower chamber's top spot.

Trump has thrown his weight behind Johnson, but some hard-right Republicans are grumbling about his leadership. With a razor-thin Republican House majority, any Republican votes against Johnson could set up a nasty leadership fight that could gum up Trump's legislative priorities if it stretches out long enough.

And the apparent terrorism attack in New Orleans on Wednesday morning was a bracing reminder of the change coming from the White House.

In an address, President Joe Biden offered condolences to the families. In a pair of social media posts, Trump slammed law enforcement as corrupt and ineffective and attack the “Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy,’” although the alleged perpetrator was born in Texas.

FACT CHECK OF THE WEEK

Anti-immigrant rhetoric drove highly viral posts in late December blaming President Joe Biden’s policies for a gruesome killing in the New York City subway while misidentifying the victim as a young PhD candidate named “Amelia Carter.” Only the victim had not yet been identified and the name is a fake. A blurry AI-generated image of a young woman in the posts first surfaced on a platform that trades a type of cryptocurrency that capitalizes on internet memes and trends. Read the fact check. Find more fact checks from around the world here.

THE VIEW FROM ... RUSSIA

Russian officials have given some mixed signals about their willingness to negotiate a Ukraine peace deal with Trump's team. While both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump have said they are interested in dialogue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week that Washington needed to make the first move.

Lavrov also appeared to cast doubt on an immediate ceasefire designed to freeze the war as negotiations unfold, an approach favored by some Trump advisers. He said during a press conference that Moscow wants a legally binding deal for a lasting peace.

"A truce is a path to nowhere," Lavrov said.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

JAN. 3: The 119th convenes with new members being sworn in.

JAN. 6: will convene to certify Trump's 2024 win during a joint session.

JAN. 9: National day of mourning and the official state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter.

THE WHO, WHAT AND WHEN

• What were Jimmy Carter's biggest challenges while president

• Who was Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect in New Orleans truck attack?

(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Alistair Bell)

((alistair.bell@thomsonreuters.com))