During the presidency of Donald Trump, the Hudson Institute was supportive of the administration. Vice President Michael Pence used the think tank as his venue for a major policy speech on China on 4 October 2018. In 2021, the Hudson Institute hired Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State in the Donald Trump administration. Sarah May Stern, chair of Hudson's board of trustees, said of Pompeo that he had an "exemplary record of public service." The Hudson Institute also hired Elaine Chao, another Trump administration official.