Updated

Updated · HuffPost · Jul 6

Lutnick Draws Mockery Over 'Trump Card' X Post as Critics Compare It to a Library Card

Updated

Updated · HuffPost · Jul 6

Lutnick Draws Mockery Over 'Trump Card' X Post as Critics Compare It to a Library Card

Q: Does a direct donation benefit the U.S. more than the old program's job creation requirement?

Not necessarily. A direct payment to the U.S. government provides immediate revenue, but the old EB-5 program’s job-creation rule was designed to produce a broader economic benefit by tying immigration status to investment in businesses that create at least 10 full-time U.S. jobs. The new “gold card” model, as described in the available reporting, requires a $1 million donation plus a processing fee, with a higher-priced premium option also discussed. Its main advantage is simplicity: money goes straight to federal coffers, and the process is meant to be faster and less administratively complex than EB-5. If the goal is quick government revenue, a direct donation can be more efficient. But that is different from generating economic spillovers. EB-5 required capital to be deployed into projects and linked that investment to employment, local development, and business activity. Even though EB-5 had a history of fraud, delays, and uneven results, its structure aimed at measurable economic output beyond a one-time payment. So the answer depends on what “benefit” means. If it means immediate cash for the federal government, direct donation may do that more directly. If it means job growth, local investment, and wider economic impact, the old job-creation requirement was more targeted. Based on the available evidence, there is no clear proof that a direct donation benefits the U.S. more overall than the EB-5 model.

3 articles · Updated · HuffPost · Jul 6

Howard Lutnick posted a photo on X of a so-called “Trump Card” tied to the administration’s fast-track permanent residency program, triggering a wave of ridicule online.
Critics focused on the card’s appearance, with several users mocking it as looking like a cheaply laminated library card rather than a premium document for wealthy foreign nationals.
The backlash widened beyond design jokes, as some users revived criticism of President Donald Trump and Lutnick over their past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Others turned the post into a sports jab, suggesting Lutnick meant the “Trump Card” Trump used to help persuade FIFA to lift Folarin Balogun’s World Cup red-card suspension.