Stephen Colbert surprised his Late Show audience on Wednesday night when he said President Donald Trump had embraced immigrants. The catch? Colbert said Trump only supported rich immigrants wealthy enough to afford his proposed $5 million gold card program.
Under President Trump's plan, individuals could purchase a "gold card" for $5 million that would essentially buy them U.S. citizenship. As Colbert noted, it's a far cry from the inscription on the Statue of Liberty.
Trump's description of the plan as "green card privileges plus" especially amused Colbert. The Late Show host wondered if Trump's idea was to "Delta Comfort" the immigration system.
Colbert went on to cast doubt on the profit President Trump claimed would come from the program. The president suggested it's possible to sell 10 million gold cards for a profit of $50 trillion. But the late-night TV host reminded everyone America already has a law allowing foreigners to acquire green cards by investing a certain amount in U.S. businesses.
But the real problem Colbert has with Trump's gold card plan is how it can be used to sponsor anyone for citizenship. A wealthy foreigner could pay $5 million on behalf of someone else seeking citizenship.
Colbert immediately went to the worst-case scenario, suggesting criminals would be brought in for any manner of reasons. And when Trump confirmed that Russian oligarchs could potentially buy citizenship, Colbert had to respond.
Trump answered a reporter's question by saying that he knows some very nice Russian oligarchs. Colbert mocked the president for not worrying about the possible loophole. The comedian imagined Trump would invite some other nice people he knew like Skeletor, Gargamel, and Nosferatu.
Like a few other ideas that have come from Trump's first 100 days in office, the $5 million gold card plan doesn't sound fully thought out. Stephen Colbert gladly poked holes in the proposal, as he's done since Trump returned to the White House.