What Donald Trump's controversial $5 million 'Gold Card' actually does as his dramatic unveiling raises eyebrows
For $5 million, individuals can now buy themselves residency in the United States as part of Donald Trump's new 'Gold Card'.
The president introduced the controversial new payment method earlier this week, seemingly in a bid for his administration to emphasise how seriously they're taking changes to American citizenship.
Unveiling the new 'Trump Cards' - all of which bear the 78-year-old's face - to reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday (3 April), he briefly explained: "For $5 million [£3.8m], this could be yours.
"You know what that card is? It’s the Gold Card, the Trump Card."
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The US leader went on to reveal that he was the 'first buyer' of one of his new products, adding: "It’ll be out in ... less than two weeks."
"Pretty exciting, right?" Trump continued. "Anybody want to buy one?"
There were several questions that the president failed to answer, however.
Who are the 'Gold Cards' for?
It is widely understood that these 'Trump Cards' are exclusively being aimed at international individuals who are keen on setting down in the United States.
Their hefty price points essentially mean, however, that they'll only grant citizenship to ultra-rich people.
The news comes amid a crackdown on what the Trump administration has described as both illegal and unnecessary immigration.
Since his January inauguration, the president has implemented a refugee travel ban, attempted to end birthright citizenship, halted 'all illegal entry' into the US, 'reinstated' the 'Remain in Mexico' programme, and announced the 'largest deportation' scheme in US history.
According to AP, Trump previously said of buyers of the cards: "They'll be wealthy and they'll be successful and 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 added: "Companies can buy gold cards and, in exchange, get those visas to hire new employees."
What do the 'Gold Cards' do?
As reported by The Independent, the cards will ensure that holders do not have to pay the US government any taxes on their overseas income, unlike American citizens.
Last month, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that 1,000 'Trump Cards' had already been sold in a week, apparently 'raising $5 billion in a single day'.
Trump previously said that the revenue brought in by the sales of these cards would be used to pay off the country's debt.
It is understood that they'll be used to replace the EB-5 visa program. This previously gave foreign nationals the means of obtaining a green card if they have invested around $1 million into a commercial enterprise that created at least 10 jobs in the US.
Different from a visa, this also granted permanent residency to non-citizens.
Lutnik added: "There’s a line for EB-5 of 250,000 right now. 200,000 of these gold green cards [at $5 million] is $1 trillion to pay down our debt."
An awkward comparison
It didn't take long following Trump's 'Gold Card' unveiling for several of his critics to make a comparison with the 'Golden Tickets' famously issued by Willy Wonka in the Roald Dahl book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The tickets also appear in the similarly-named movie versions (starring Gene Wilder, then Johnny Depp).
"Bro thinks he's Willy Wonka handing out golden tickets to Mar-a-Lago," one social media user mocked Trump.
"This man turned the presidency into a long con, and now he’s selling the merch."
Another joked: "DJT trolls the press on Air Force one with a mockup of the new ‘USA Gold Visa Card’ as if he’s Willy Wonka."
A third added: "Bruh - Trump out here selling golden tickets like Willy Wonka!"
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, Money, News
Rhianna Benson