US President Donald Trump has announced the introduction of a “gold card” residency programme, allowing affluent foreigners to live and work in the United States for a fee of USD 5 million.
The initiative, which provides a pathway to citizenship, is set to replace the existing EB-5 immigrant investor visa programme, on Tuesday (local time).
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed the development, stating, “They’ll have to go through vetting, of course, to make sure they’re wonderful world-class global citizens.”
Trump made the announcement during a media interaction in the Oval Office, where he also signed an executive action investigating the copper industry and fielded questions on various issues.
He indicated that sales of the gold card would commence within a fortnight and suggested that millions could be issued. “From the legal standpoint, it’s totally legal to do,” he asserted.
When questioned on the eligibility of Russian oligarchs for the scheme, Trump responded, “Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.
During the event, Trump also admired a map of the newly renamed Gulf of America, remarking, “I’m just admiring it as I look at it. I’m getting teary-eyed — but I don’t want you to say, ‘Trump broke down and started crying.'”
The President also took the opportunity to criticise the Associated Press, describing the news organisation as “radical left.” He remarked, “I think they’re Radical Left. I think they’re third-rate reporters … They don’t treat us fairly.”
Defending the administration’s stance on media scrutiny, White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt stated that questioning the President was “a privilege, not a legal right.”
At the briefing, Trump was seen distributing pamphlets with the message, “Trump was right about everything.” Holding one up, he remarked, “Look. You see that? Trump was right about everything… Would anybody like one?”
