The Trump Organization just set a new record for foreign worker visa requests, asking to bring in 184 people to staff its various properties this year. This record number is a massive jump, and it certainly raises some eyebrows when you consider the president’s strong “America First” commitment to prioritizing domestic labor.
The company is seeking to hire these employees through the H-2A and H-2B visa programs, which are designated for temporary positions. According to data released by the Department of Labor and found by The Hill, these workers are needed at high-profile locations like Mar-a-Lago, two different golf clubs, and the Trump Vineyard Estates in Charlottesville, Virginia. The positions needing to be filled include essential service roles like servers, farm workers, kitchen staff, housekeepers, and clerks.
This isn’t a new phenomenon, but the scale is increasing quickly. Data compiled by Forbes shows that the organization’s requests for foreign laborers have steadily climbed during President Trump’s time in office. Back in 2021, the Trump Organization filed for 121 workers. Now, in 2025, that number is up to 184. Overall, the organization has filed to hire 566 foreign laborers (not citizens) across the duration of President Trump’s first term and the first nine months of his second term.
Trump will keep giving Visas for his businesses, but not for those who earned it
If you’re wondering how this record request squares with the administration’s stated goals regarding American jobs, President Trump actually defended the practice recently. He appeared on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle” on Tuesday to address the use of foreign visas. He argued that the U.S. simply doesn’t have enough people with the “certain talents” required for particular jobs.
It’s interesting because host Laura Ingraham pointed out that bringing in thousands of foreign workers could hurt efforts to raise domestic wages. President Trump conceded that point, but he quickly insisted that “You also do have to bring in talent.”
I believe in the American people. I am one of you.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene
I believe you are good, talented, creative, intelligent, hard working, and want to achieve.
I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H1Bs.
I am solidly against allowing foreign students into our…(@mtgreenee) November 12, 2025
He emphasized that not every American worker is ready or available for every role. He used a strong analogy to make his case, noting, “You can’t take people off an unemployment line and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory where we’re going to make missiles,’” he said later in the interview. That’s a powerful defense, even if critics will argue it feels contradictory to the campaign trail promises of prioritizing American workers first.
The push for foreign labor didn’t sit well with everyone in the GOP, either. Following President Trump’s interview, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) appeared to criticize his remarks on X. She wrote, “I am solidly against you being replaced by foreign labor, like with H1Bs.”
Trump Organization sought a RECORD NUMBER of foreign workers — Forbes
— RT (@RT_com) November 13, 2025
The Trump Organization tried to bring over at least 184 foreign workers in 2025 for jobs at Mar-a-Lago, two golf clubs, and Virginia winery
Trump has split with his MAGA base on foreign workers and students pic.twitter.com/dQuVMUfm9F
This point highlights a significant internal tension within the administration’s policy. The Trump Organization is utilizing H-2A and H-2B temporary visas, but the administration has recently signaled a strong desire to restrict other foreign labor programs. Just back in September, President Trump signed a proclamation that drastically increased H-1B visa fees to a massive $100,000.
That measure was specifically designed to strongly encourage companies to hire American workers instead of relying on specialty occupation visas. It’s hard to reconcile that steep fee hike for high-skilled workers with the company’s own record-breaking requests for lower-skilled temporary workers.
