Donald Trump Says Gold Card Visa Could Be Renamed 'Trump Card'

Immigration Reporter

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President Donald Trump suggested renaming his proposed "gold card" visa as the "Trump card," claiming the name would be more appealing.

"I will tell you what my people want to call it. It'll drive you crazy. It'll drive the left crazy. They want to call it the Trump card, because the Trump card sells much better than the gold card," Trump said on The Ingraham Angle.

Why It Matters

Trump's proposed "gold card" program would offer U.S. residency to individuals who invest $5 million in American businesses, replacing the current EB-5 visa, and the announcement came as part of the shake-up of the immigration system. A gold "Trump Card" would send a message that the president is focused on immigration which can attract cash to the U.S. Critics of his approach say he should be more focused on bringing talent to the country.

What To Know

Trump unveiled his plan to replace the current EB-5 immigrant investor visa program with a new "gold card" initiative, offering U.S. citizenship to foreigners who invest in American businesses.

Under the existing EB-5 program, applicants must pay between $100,000 and $200,000 in fees to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), invest between $800,000 and $1 million, and create at least 10 jobs for American workers.

Trump described the gold card as a "green card plus," suggesting it would provide more significant benefits than those available to regular permanent residents. However, critics argue that the policy favors the wealthy over those with skills or merit and may not effectively address broader economic issues—particularly as the administration continues efforts to deport millions of immigrants who have no legal status.

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna launched a withering critique of the plans and argued for a merit-based approach while advocating for policies that welcome talented workers while also reforming the H-1B visa program to prevent exploitation.

The H-1B visa allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring a bachelor's degree or equivalent. It is employer-sponsored, valid for up to six years, and subject to an annual cap of 85,000 visas. Due to high demand, applicants are selected through a lottery system. Foreign qualifications must meet U.S. standards.

Trump's commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, claimed the "Gold Card" visa program already has 250,000 applicants.

However, applications on the UCIS website do not appear to have been launched.

What People Are Saying

Trump told Fox News: "They're going to be properly vetted. But, you know, we're talking about a lot of people. I think it's going to be very successful."

Trump, in the Oval Office: "It's going to be a route to citizenship, and wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card. They will be wealthy, they will be successful, they will be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes."

Rep. Ro Khanna told Newsweek in February: "You don't need to have $5 million in your bank account to build a successful company in America. Just look at Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, or Satya Nadella. We should welcome talented workers to America who will bring their creativity and productivity while also reforming the H1-B program to prevent abuses."

Ashok Kumar Adusumilli Director at EB5Resources.com said in a statement shared with Newsweek: As for the Gold Card visa, its $5 million investment requirement makes it far less competitive than other Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs worldwide. While the idea is to attract wealthy investors to help with the U.S. deficit, the reality is that there just isn't a large enough demand for U.S. residency at that price point.

Having been involved in the EB-5 industry since 2017, first by getting my own green card through the program and then helping foreign investors navigate the program for the last five years, I've already seen a decline in EB-5 investments at $800,000 compared to the previous $500,000 threshold. If the required investment is raised more than fivefold, it's highly unlikely to attract the millions of new foreign investors that the President envisions.