The former president’s family business increased its recruitment of overseas employees on short-term work permits this period, even as his government was creating barriers for other businesses wanting to do the same, an analysis released recently claimed.
According to data from the federal labor department, the business aimed to hire at least 184 foreign workers in 2025 for short-term roles at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort, two golf clubs and his winery in Virginia.
The number of requests for temporary work visas covering staff including servers, clerks, cleaning staff, culinary employees and agricultural laborers was the highest ever filed by the company, and increased from 121 in the previous term, when his presidency ended.
It was also the fifth instance in a decade that Trump had sought to hire more than 100 overseas workers for temporary positions at Mar-a-Lago, according to available data.
The revelation coincides with a tightening on legal immigration by his administration that has included the implementation of a substantial charge on H1-B visas; extra scrutiny of the activities of the millions of people who already hold American work permits; and tighter regulations for international scholars and reporters.
In total, the Trump Organization sought to employ 566 foreign laborers over the five years the former president has been in the presidency, from his first term and during 2025.
Notably, the former president was questioned by certain in the Republican party this week for comments defending the need for foreign workers when a company was unable to find people with “particular skills” to occupy certain positions.
“You can’t just say a nation is coming in, going to spend $10bn to construct a plant, and going to recruit individuals off an jobless roster who haven’t worked in years, and they’re going to start making their missiles. It doesn’t work that effectively,” he stated to a interviewer after she suggested that foreign workers lower the pay of American employees.
The White House declined a inquiry for comment, and the Trump Organization did not provide an answer to an inquiry.
A passionate writer and life coach who shares transformative experiences from global travels and personal growth journeys.
Lisa Mitchell
Lisa Mitchell