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President Donald Trump has introduced a new initiative aimed at wealthy foreign nationals seeking American citizenship. Dubbed the “Gold Card,” this program offers a pathway to citizenship for $5 million, replacing the existing EB-5 visa program, which typically requires a $1 million investment in job-creating projects.
Speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 18, Trump explained the concept: “We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card; this is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million, and that’s going to give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship.”
Trump emphasized that the program would attract wealthy and successful individuals who would contribute significantly to the U.S. economy. “They’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it’s going to be extremely successful,” he said.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick supported the move, criticizing the current EB-5 program as flawed. “The EB-5 program … it was full of nonsense, make believe and fraud, and it was a way to get a green card that was low price,” Lutnick stated. “So the president said, rather than having this sort of ridiculous EB-5 program, we’re going to end the EB-5 program. We’re going to replace it with the Trump gold card.”
The Gold Card program is designed to attract individuals of wealth or exceptional talent, with companies potentially sponsoring talented individuals for long-term status in the U.S. Trump estimated that up to 10 million gold cards could be sold, generating significant revenue to help reduce the federal deficit.
“It’s somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication. It’s a road to citizenship for people, and essentially people of wealth or people of great talent, where people of wealth pay for those people of talent to get in, meaning companies will pay for people to get in and to have long, long-term status in the country,” Trump explained.
The program mirrors similar investor visa initiatives in countries like Great Britain, Spain, Greece, Malta, Australia, Canada, and Italy. In the 2022 federal fiscal year, approximately 8,000 people obtained EB-5 visas.
Lutnick clarified that not everyone would be eligible for the Gold Card. Applicants would undergo vetting to ensure they meet high standards. “They’ll have to go through vetting, of course, to make sure they’re wonderful world-class global citizens, they can come to America. The president can give them a green card, and they can invest in America, and we can use that money to reduce our deficit,” he said.
The initiative has sparked debate, with supporters praising its potential economic benefits and critics questioning its implications for immigration policy. As Trump continues to innovate, the Gold Card program represents his latest effort to reshape U.S. immigration and economic policy.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who has extensively covered the Trump administration, foreign policy, and military issues for The Western Journal since 2015.
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