As Trump goes after H-1B visa, US Physics Olympiad winning team consists of Chinese, Indian and Russian geniuses

Trump Physics Olympiad 2025: US President Donald Trump welcomed the 2025 US Physics Olympiad team to the White House on Tuesday, celebrating a historic academic triumph just days after signing a proclamation imposing a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applicants. The moment, meant to showcase American brilliance, quickly turned into a flashpoint in the debate over immigration and meritocracy.

Trump welcomes Physics Olympiad champions at White House

Trump’s assistant Michael Kratsios shared a photo of the president alongside the winning team, writing on social media platform X, " Today @POTUS & @WHOSTP47 were proud to welcome the 2025 World Champion USA Physics Team to the @WhiteHouse," adding, “These incredible geniuses DOMINATED at the International Physics Olympiad in July, bringing home a record FIVE gold medals — the greatest performance in team history.”



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The irony of Trump’s visa policies

But the photo drew widespread attention online not just for the medals, but for who was holding them. As none of the team members appeared to be white or of visibly American origin, a detail highlighted by critics as a stark contrast to Trump’s crackdown on skilled immigration, as per a report.

Meet the US winning team

The winning team, which included Agastya Goel, Allen Li, Joshua Wang, Feodor Yevtushenko, and Brian Zhang, delivered a flawless performance at the 2025 International Physics Olympiad in Paris, where they were the only country to secure gold medals for all participants, as per a MoneyControl report. Among them are students of Chinese, Indian, and Russian heritage, hailed as some of the brightest young physicists in the world, as per the report.

Goel, an Indian-origin junior from Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California, is the son of Harvard professor Ashish Goel, as per the MoneyControl report. Beyond physics, he juggles competitive programming, varsity tennis, choir, and even board games. He’s also fluent in Hindi and Spanish.

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Social media reacts to viral White House photo

On social media, the photo went viral with many calling it the perfect example of why the H-1B visa program matters to the United States.

“This picture alone should be enough to explain why H1B programme is important for US,” wrote X user Sarcastic Monk (@ThePiyush7). Another X user Bharat Singh (@OyeBhartsingh) commented, “100% non white Americans, threat to American jobs, Trump should deport them."

“LOL! Zero ‘ethnic white Americans’ on the physics team. One Russian, one Indian, and the rest Chinese—all non-white, immigrants of the 3 most hated countries in this country,” wrote Deep Barot (@deepbarot). “There you go. I spot Chinese and an Indian. Yea, put more rules on H1B,” added Zorius Veximus (@ZoriusVeximus).

Trump imposes $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visa applicants

The timing was especially charged. On Friday, Trump signed a proclamation raising H-1B visa fees to $100,000 per applicant, a move framed by the administration as protecting American jobs. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick defended the decision, saying that, “If you're going to train somebody, you're going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land. Train Americans. Stop bringing in people to take our jobs,” as quoted by MoneyControl.

White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf echoed that sentiment, arguing the fee would ensure only the most highly skilled, irreplaceable workers could qualify, as per the report.

FAQs

Who did President Trump host at the White House?
He welcomed the 2025 US Physics Olympiad team after their historic win.

Why did the White House photo go viral?
Because none of the students appeared white, sparking debate over immigration amid Trump’s visa crackdown.