Do you honestly think it's a good idea to make it harder to get a visa in this country? Particularly one that's based on merit/markets?

In practice they want people of high ability who will contribute positively to the US, not necessarily geniuses. My friend who was supporting actress in some Netflix thing got in on that basis.

O-1 isn't a genius visa, it is for [1] Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement, the government website specifically calls out categories that are not research or engineering.

[1] https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary...

Melania Trump got an EB-1 visa as a model. That’s the permanent resident version of the O-1, which is temporary.