US will sell gold card to wealthy foreigners, Trump says, replacing EB-5 visa program
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Trump Launches $1M 'Gold Card' Visa Program for US Residency
Will the Gold Card bring billions while retaining top talent, or create a pay-to-play system favoring wealth over merit?
Above: The Trump Gold Card. Image credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images
The Spin
Right narrative
The Gold Card is a historic win for America by bringing billions of dollars directly into the Treasury while keeping top foreign talent from elite universities here, rather than sending them back to China or India. Companies like Apple finally get to retain the best minds after full vetting, with all funds going straight to paying down national debt and making the country stronger.
Left narrative
This program turns the immigration system into a two-tier structure where wealth trumps merit, allowing ultra-rich families to jump ahead of nurses, engineers and scientists who've waited years. Charging $1 million per person isn't evidence of extraordinary ability — it's just a price tag that hijacks visa numbers from skilled workers already in line.