Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Reann Philogene

Trump on Hispanic farm workers: ‘They don’t get a bad back, because if they get a bad back, they die’

Donald Trump has raised eyebrows with comments he made about farm laborers during a phone interview with CNBC.

The President spoke on Tuesday, 5 August 2025, explaining his belief that deported immigrant farm employees are not easy to replace with native-born workers.

Farmers have been left short of staff due to the Trump administration’s ICE round-ups of undocumented migrants.

Trump suggested people who live “in the inner city” are “not doing that [farm] work” but Hispanic migrants do it “naturally”.

He then launched into a story about a conversation he had once had with a farmer.

Trump says he asked, "What happens if they get a bad back?" to which the farmer allegedly responded, "They don't get a bad back, sir, because if they get a bad back, they die".

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.