Trump's Business Attempted to Hire Almost 200 Workers on Work Permits in 2025
The former president’s corporate entity accelerated its hiring of foreign workers on short-term work permits this year, even as his government was placing obstacles for other companies attempting to do the same, an analysis released Thursday claimed.
Based on information from the federal labor department, the Trump Organization aimed to bring in at least 184 foreign workers in 2025 for short-term roles at the former president’s Florida property, golf facilities and his Virginia winery.
The number of requests for H-2A and H-2B visas for workers including waitstaff, clerks, housekeepers, kitchen staff and agricultural laborers was the highest ever filed by the company, and increased from 121 in 2021, when his presidency ended.
It was also the fifth time in a decade that Trump had attempted to hire over a hundred overseas workers for temporary positions at his Florida resort, based on available data.
The disclosure comes amid a tightening on legal immigration by his administration that has included the introduction of a substantial charge on H1-B visas; extra scrutiny of the actions of the 55 million people who already hold US visas; and restrictive new rules for foreign students and journalists.
Overall, the Trump Organization sought to hire 566 overseas workers over the period Trump has been in the presidency, from 2017 to 2021 and during 2025.
Significantly, the former president was questioned by some in the Republican party this week for remarks justifying the necessity for foreign workers when a business was unable to find people with “particular skills” to fill certain positions.
“You cannot just say a country is coming in, going to invest billions to construct a plant, and going to recruit individuals off an jobless roster who have been unemployed in five years, and they’re going to start producing their defense systems. It isn’t feasible that well,” he told a host after it was implied that overseas employees lower the pay of American employees.
The administration declined a request for comment, and the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
