Martina Navratilova takes dig at $8 billion-worth Donald Trump's wife Melania amid H1-B visa controversy

Martina Navratilova has taken a swipe at US President-elect Donald Trump's wife Melania amid the ongoing ruckus over immigration on the Elon Musk-owned X (formerly Twitter). A section of the president-elect's supporter base is seething at the world's richest man's support for hiring skilled workers from other countries, most notably tech workers from India.

The row broke out after Trump chose Indian-born Sriram Krishnan as his senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence (or AI). Krishnan's appointment has sparked an outcry from anti-immigration Trump supporters, as he had previously called for removing country caps for green cards. Elon went to war with those opposing the move, describing them as "racists" and calling for their removal from the Republican party.

Musk is expected to play a key role in Trump's incoming administration, heading the newly-formed Department of Government Efficiency (or DOGE) to downsize the US federal government.

Martina Navratilova, who had previously commented on the controversy, again shared her thoughts on the ongoing row. This time, she responded to an observation by journalist James Surowiecki.

Surowiecki noted, "One funny aspect of the skilled immigration dust-up is that Melania Trump was only able to live and work in the US because she got H1-B visas. She then got a green card by somehow qualifying for an EB-1 visa, which is reserved for individuals with "extraordinary ability."

Martina jumped into the discussion, suggesting she is wondering what Melania Trump's "extraordinary qualities" were or are.

Reports that Melania received a visa reserved for “individuals with extraordinary ability” in 2001 when she was a model have raised questions about whether her association with billionaire Trump fast-tracked her path toward US citizenship. The Slovenian-born Melania, who met Trump at a party in 1998, married the then real-estate mogul at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea church in Palm Beach, Florida in 2005.

Notably, the Czechoslovakia-born Navratilova too is an immigrant to the US, having been granted political asylum in the country in 1975 and becaming a US citizen in 1981.

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Martina Navratilova strongly opposes US President-elect Donald Trump and his policies

Martina Navratilova strongly opposes the Republican Party - Source: Getty

To suggest that Martina Navratilova does not like Donald Trump would be an understatement. The tennis legend endorsed Kamala Harris for President and has publicly decried Trump's policies, particularly his stance on abortion rights. She has also described him as a "wannabe dictator" and "bully."

The Republican-majority Supreme Court in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade, which federally protected women's right to have an abortion in all US states. Although Trump has denied wanting to enforce a nationwide ban on abortions, he has taken credit for "killing" Roe v. Wade.