Donald Trump’s Gold Visa puts the American Dream up for sale for $5M

Well, apparently, the “Trump Card” is not the hot-ticket item the salesmen in Mar-a-Lago would have you believe. Sure, the White House bragged that 70,000 people have “expressed interest” in this golden visa to the promised land — but expressing interest is not the same as writing a $5 million check.
One global investment migration firm told Newsweek last week that the real number will be less than 1,000 sales. That’s not even a soft opening in golden visa terms. Why? Maybe because this thing is laughably overpriced — five million bucks up front, and not even as an investment you can get back. It’s a straight-up donation to Uncle Sam’s cash register. That’s five times more than similar deals in Europe where you get a beach, a passport and a bottle of olive oil.
Because living in the U.S. is so much better than, say, Spain, right? Ladra knows several people who are getting their Spanish citizenship, you know, just in case.
Even the pros say that the Gold Card, announced by Donald Trump in a March speech to Congress, is basically a political vanity project with no legal legs. To make it work, the U.S. would have to rewrite the tax code — something a presidential signature alone can’t do. Congress would have to get involved, and Ladra will bet you her cafecito that this Congress can’t even agree on what day it is, much less a new tax category for billionaires on ski holidays.
As one lawyer put it, “I doubt the Trump Card will ever see the light of day.”
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But that hasn’t stopped this transactional administration from selling it. You can “register your interest” right now at TrumpCard.gov — which is an actual official government website that has really zero information. Looks like a third grader design it. It is just basically a grab for a mailing list of rich people from abroad who might be able to help Trump stay in power. It’s laughable how bad it is.
Meanwhile, the old investor visa, the real investor visa — the EB-5 program — has been around since 1990, costs a fraction of the price, and comes with actual job creation requirements. It at least pretended to link the investment to job creation in underserved areas. The Trump Gold Card? Nada. No obligation to help communities, create jobs, or do anything beyond existing with money. If that $5 million goes into a hedge fund or a personal holding company, that’s perfectly fine under this scheme.
Trump’s crew wants to slap his name on a fast-pass for the super-rich that skips the hard parts.
And what couldn’t go wrong with this glitzy little shortcut to citizenship that’s being peddled like a VIP pass to America?
Ladra sees red flags waving like it’s a July 4th parade — except these are the kind that usually come with subpoenas, shell companies, and yachts docked in Dubai.
¿Qué puede salir mal? Everything. Everything can go wrong.:

Money laundering made easy. We’re talking about $5 million per head with no job creation requirement, no vetting for actual economic impact, and no real plan to track where the money goes. That’s not immigration policy — that’s a welcome mat for oligarchs, kleptocrats, and anyone who needs to wash a little dirty money through Uncle Sam’s spin cycle. Think Panama Papers but with a U.S. passport at the end.
National security? What’s that? While everyday visa applicants are getting grilled about their social media and travel history, this program could let people waltz in with a wire transfer and a smile. No one’s asking who they are, what their intentions are, or why they suddenly need to buy a green card. Bad actors — and not the Hollywood kind — would see this as a golden opportunity. Ladra would bet her last croqueta that there’s already a line of shady oligarchs, crypto bros, and tax dodgers getting their paperwork in order.
Accountability black hole. Who’s managing this thing? Who verifies the source of funds? Who ensures the money actually “stimulates” anything beyond luxury condos in Brickell or campaign donations in the shadows? If it’s anything like the EB-5 program — which already had serious fraud and abuse issues — then the Gold Card is EB-5 on steroids. And steroids with no regulation lead to bloated corruption.
Public opinion. You think Americans struggling to pay rent or drowning in student debt are going to be thrilled to watch billionaires buy citizenship like they’re ordering off a wine list? This kind of wealth-based immigration deepens inequality and undermines the entire concept of fairness in the system. Imagine telling a DREAMer they have to wait years in limbo while someone else cuts the line with a checkbook.
Golden gate for political influence. With this kind of cash flowing into the U.S., you’d better believe it won’t stop at real estate. These are the kind of “new Americans” who start PACs, fund candidates, and call senators by their first names at fundraisers. The Gold Card isn’t just a path to residency — it’s a golden key to the backrooms of political power.
Merit-based hypocrisy. Remember all the “merit-based immigration” talk? All that chest-puffing about wanting scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs? Turns out the only merit that matters here is what’s in your offshore account. This isn’t about national interest — it’s about selling the American dream to the highest bidder.

This isn’t immigration reform. It’s not even a policy. It’s a pay-to-stay country club membership that leaves the door wide open to abuse while slamming it shut on everyone else. It makes a mockery of the hard-won, paperwork-heavy, years-long journey that actual immigrants endure — all for the sake of a quick buck in the Treasury.
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The Trump team says the money — that $5 million per wealthy applicant — could go to “help pay down the national debt.” But Ladra’s been around long enough to know what that really means: it disappears into the general fund like loose change in a couch full of lobbyists. One minute it’s earmarked for deficit reduction, the next it’s padding someone’s pet project or quietly covering cost overruns for some bloated defense contractor.
And let’s talk about that “potentially” helping with disaster relief or border security. That’s not a plan. That’s spin. “Potentially” is politician-speak for “we haven’t decided yet, and we hope you don’t ask too many questions.”
Let’s call this what it is: The Trump Gold Card isn’t a visa. It isn’t an immigration policy. It’s a velvet rope. And a scam.
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