Featured Image Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, News, Money
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Politics, News, Money
Donald Trump took a break from talk of tariffs yesterday to show off his brand new 'Gold Cards'.
In doing so, however, the President has somewhat made himself a laughing stock amongst some critics, many of whom have compared his move to something found in a particularly wacky children's movie.
For those who haven't yet caught wind of Trump's latest project, his Republican administration have seemingly developed the 'Trump Card' in a bid to emphasise how seriously they're taking changes to immigration policy.
Apparently, each card - all of which feature Donald Trump's face - can be bought for $5 million in a bid to gain residency in the United States.
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Unveiling the card to reporters aboard Air Force One yesterday (3 Apr), 78-year-old Trump pitched: "For $5 million, this could be yours."
The right-wing leader continued: "You know what that card is? It’s the Gold Card, the Trump Card."
"Who is the first buyer?" one journalist asked, after which Trump quipped: "Me."
"The second?" the reporter pressed.
"I don’t know, but I’m the first buyer," the father-of-five went on. "It’ll be out in ... less than two weeks. Pretty exciting, right?"
"Anybody want to buy one?"
It hasn't taken long, however, for Trump's critics to draw a comparison between his 'Gold Cards' and those issued by Willy Wonka in the Roald Dahl book Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, as well as 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 rinsed him on X (formerly Twitter).
"This man turned the presidency into a long con, and now he’s selling the merch."
Another jibed: "DJT trolls the press on Air Force one with a mockup of the new ‘USA Gold Visa Card’ as if he’s Willy Wonka."
"Bruh - Trump out here selling golden tickets like Willy wonka!" a third added.
"No way he actually made a gold card," wrote another. "No f*****g way. This president is so unserious.
"Willy Wonka jokes galore."
The cards were announced by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last month, where he claimed that 1,000 had already been sold in a week, 'raising $5 billion in a single day'.
According to 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.
The card's introduction came just hours after Trump revealed the list of reciprocal tariffs he's set to impose on a number of nations across the globe in the coming weeks.
"We've been waiting for a long time, April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America's destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to 'Make America Wealthy Again'," he declared on Wednesday (2 April).
"For years, hard-working American citizens were forced to sit on the sidelines as other nations got rich and powerful, much of it at our expense. But now it’s our turn to prosper," he claimed. "This will be the golden age of America. It’s coming back."
As well as implementing 'baseline taxes' on companies that are bringing the foreign goods into the States from the likes of the UK, Australia, the UAE, Argentina and Singapore, Trump will also introduce 'custom tariffs for worst offenders'.
This includes the likes of China, Vietnam, South Africa, and European Union.
Car import tariffs will also be implemented.