Trump posted today: "Today, we are proud to announce the launch of the 'Trump Gold Card' (THE TRUMP GOLD CARD). The individual application price is $1 million, and the corporate application price is $2 million. For a long time, millions of undocumented immigrants have flooded into our country, and our immigration system has long been in disarray. Now it's time for American citizens and American taxpayers to benefit from our legal immigration system. We expect that the 'Trump Gold Card' will soon generate revenue exceeding $100 billion. This money will be used for tax cuts, projects that drive economic growth, and paying off debt."
Comments: Trump claims that this plan can quickly create over $100 billion in revenue for tax cuts, economic growth projects, and debt repayment, but this idea is overly idealistic. Without considering whether there are enough people around the world who are willing and able to pay such a huge sum for an American identity card, even if large amounts of money do flow in, it remains questionable whether these funds can be properly utilized as he claims within the complex U.S. fiscal system.
If this money were to actually materialize, the so-called "tax cuts" and "growth projects" would likely first benefit groups or industries concentrated among his supporters, and the actual benefits for ordinary citizens remain doubtful; more importantly, using "selling immigration qualifications" to obtain fiscal revenue essentially turns the country's immigration resources into a short-term profit-making tool.
From a motivational perspective, this plan precisely aligns with Trump's dual mobilization strategy of "populism + elite": for ordinary supporters, he uses the slogan of "cracking down on undocumented immigrants and letting taxpayers benefit" to reinforce the image of "protecting American interests"; for the wealthy group, the "Gold Card" becomes an implicit "channel for political investment," which not only attracts potential financial support, but also implies future policy favoritism towards the elite class.
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1843761400723652/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.