Donald Trump’s “gold card” visa, where a foreigner can shell out at least $1 million to legally live and work in the U.S., has been approved for one person, said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Thursday — appearing to fall a bit short of an earlier claim.

After it launched in December, Lutnick said that the government had sold $1.3 billion “worth” in just several days, as Trump stood by holding up the gilded ticket and said, “essentially it’s the green card on steroids.”

Lutnick did not address the apparent discrepancy in an exchange with a congresswoman at Thursday’s committee hearing.

  • waigl@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    The Trump administration has been known to just randomly, unilaterally withdraw visas on a whim. You’d have to be crazy to accept that bargain when they just might kick you out anyway and keep your money.

    • DokPsy@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      Or take the fees for applications but not process any of them. As they are currently doing

  • mkwt@lemmy.world
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    13 hours ago

    The types of visas that are available and the rules for them are set by laws passed by Congress. Trump doesn’t have the power to just unilaterally create a new visa category. So if you look at the fine print, this is actually some other already existing category that allows the president to admit individuals at discretion, and the fee is just a donation to the US Treasury. That’s also why it’s not racking up a bunch of court challenges.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      Trump doesn’t have the power to just unilaterally create a new visa category.

      He gets to order ICE around and they get to decide who actually gets the rough treatment.

      That said, I wouldn’t count on this visa being worth much once Trump is gone. So I can understand why nobody is enthusiastic about paying his bribe.

    • Jhex@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Trump doesn’t have the power to just unilaterally…

      it’s incredible to me that, today, there are people in the USA who think rules and laws still apply… this is at week 6 of a not-a-war that the orange pedophile did not have the power to unilaterally commit the country to

      • Serinus@lemmy.world
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        10 hours ago

        It’s incredible to me that, today, you’re willing to just give up all rules and laws without even an argument.

        • Jhex@lemmy.world
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          1 hour ago

          recognizing the laws have no teeth or enforcement is not giving them up, it’s simply accepting the problem which is the very first step to solve it

        • MinnesotaGoddam@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          my dude, i can argue with someone who agrees with me or i can argue with the wall. i can’t argue with someone in charge. i’d rather go play pogs

  • EvilBit@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    I really really really really want to see in the news soon that this person still got disappeared by ICE for being the wrong color.

      • EvilBit@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        I still wouldn’t put it past an ICE agent that “likes all kinds of music, except hip-hop”