Despite widely criticizing it, Donald Trump’s social media company, Truth Social, had applied for an H-1B visa program that he sought to restrict during his administration and which many of his allies want him to curtail in a potential second term.
According to an AP report, Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, had initiated the application process for an H-1B visa in June 2022, requesting approval for a position offering a $65,000 annual salary, the lowest category permitted under the program. Despite the approval of the application by federal immigration authorities, the company asserts it did not ultimately hire the intended worker.
While Trump Media & Technology Group has attributed the application to prior management, the company, now under the leadership of former House Intelligence Committee chairman and staunch Trump ally Devin Nunes, swiftly terminated the process upon learning of it in November 2022.
“The company has never hired — and has no plans to hire — an H-1B visa program worker. When current management learned of this application, which was made under prior management, it swiftly terminated the process in November 2022,” the company said in a statement.
The revelation is in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s verbal outburst about the business visa program that gives tech workers an opportunity to work in America. Even as Trump has been against migrants crossing over to US illegally, his policy proposals when in power included curbs on legal immigration such as family-based visas and the H-1B visa lottery program.
In a 2016 primary debate, Trump spoke about the H-1B visa program and said it was “very bad” and “unfair” for US workers. “First of all, I think and I know the H-1B very well. And it’s something that I frankly use and I shouldn’t be allowed to use it. We shouldn’t have it,” he said.
“Second of all, I think it’s very important to say, well, I’m a businessman and I have to do what I have to do.”
The H-1B visa program, commonly utilized by tech firms, has faced scrutiny for its impact on American workers. Trump’s own history with the program includes prior usage for hiring foreign models and select employees for his enterprises. However, such applications ceased until the inception of Truth Social.
Interestingly, the AP report reveals that even an investment firm linked to Trump’s son-in-law and former White House advisor, Jared Kushner, sought and obtained approval for a similar visa application.
Trump’s allies are pushing to reform the H-1B program into an elite mechanism, admitting only the most exceptional talents at premium wages to ensure American workers are not disadvantaged. Nonetheless, the program has been a lifeline for many small companies, particularly in professional and technical services, aiding their sustainability by providing access to skilled labor.
