A MAGA activist has ignited a political and cultural firestorm after claiming “Individuals are smarter than Indians” in a viral submit arguing that the USA ought to repair its personal training system relatively than depend on H-1B staff from India. Lauren Witzke’s message, constructed on disputed IQ figures and an attraction to American exceptionalism, has as an alternative triggered a wave of data-led rebuttals, mockery and resignations to the truth that high-skilled immigration stays crucial to the US workforce.
The submit that sparked the hearth
Witzke’s unique declare leaned on IQ estimates usually attributed to the controversial work of Richard Lynn, asserting an American common IQ of 98 versus India’s 76. She argued that if the US “allegedly doesn’t have the expertise” to construct superior defence applied sciences, the answer lies in fixing American faculties, not “importing India” by means of “limitless H-1B visas.”The rant instantly countered President Trump’s 12 November 2025 defence of the H-1B programme as important for specialised defence roles. It additionally collided with a long time of knowledge displaying Indian H-1B recipients are among the many most elite and economically profitable immigrant teams in trendy US historical past.
Customers hit again with revenue, training and mockery
Lots of the strongest pushbacks got here from customers armed with exhausting numbers. Respondents highlighted that Indian Individuals have the best median family revenue within the US, usually between 100,500 {dollars} and 126,891 {dollars}, practically double the nationwide common. Others famous that Indian Individuals have among the lowest crime charges and a bachelor’s diploma attainment of over 70 % in comparison with the US common of 28 %.A number of customers mocked the contradiction in Witzke’s argument. One wrote:
The strain between nationwide satisfaction and financial want surfaced repeatedly, mirroring the broader 2025 debate round immigration, sovereignty and international competitiveness.
The bigger image: Information over slogans
Ultimately, Witzke’s argument was undercut not by partisanship however by information. Indian H-1B staff are usually not common representatives of India. They’re extremely chosen, extremely educated and disproportionately profitable. In the meantime, the US continues to face shortages in engineering, healthcare and superior expertise sectors, shortages that can’t be solved shortly by home reform alone.The backlash to Witzke’s submit displays a broader fact. In an interconnected world, IQ speaking factors and nationalist slogans wrestle towards the truth of labour markets, demographic scale and international competitors.
