Nighttime Personalities Lampoon Trump's Controversial 'Gold Card' Visa Plan

Late-night's leading comedians used their evening criticizing ex-President Donald Trump's just unveiled visa initiative, dubbed the "golden visa," portraying it as a clear pay-to-play scheme for the rich.

The Late Show's Pointed Spin

Opening his program, Stephen Colbert offered a sardonic holiday jingle about the commander-in-chief. "He is making a list, reviewing it twice, before giving that list to the officials at ICE," he sang. "The President ... ruins all he touches."

Colbert's target was the controversial initiative that allows overseas nationals to buy U.S. residence for a sum of a million dollars, with a "top-tier" option for five million. A government portal promises approval "with unprecedented speed."

"A brief thought for you to rich foreigners: prior to you fork over the cash, maybe think about Canada?" Colbert joked.

He noted that the scheme is also designed to "squeeze cash" from businesses looking to hire skilled workers, requiring hefty costs. "That is a lot of fees, though if you register, you also get free accommodation at a hotel of your choice – provided that it's the a specific Marriott," he said.

"The most thorough background check the U.S. government has ever done," stated Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, "a $15,000 vetting to ensure these individuals truly meet the standard to be in America."

"That is important, you have to prove you're suitable to be an American," Colbert responded. "Question one: how many hamburgers would you eat for a free T-shirt?"

Jimmy Kimmel's Blistering Commentary

On his late-night show, Jimmy Kimmel dubbed the visa program the "Get Into America Express Card."

"It's a card that will allow rich overseas citizens to live here," he stated. "In exchange for a million bucks, you get official resident status, you get a road to citizenship, and a president's pardon for one significant crime of your choosing."

"It might be time to update that message on the Statue of Liberty – to hell with your tired masses. Hand over a million bucks, you're in!" he joked.

Kimmel mocked the lack of detail of the application, observing it is "more difficult to start a Wordle account." He remarked that Trump "believes citizenship is something you can sell, like a condo."

"Indeed, the finest people are the rich people," Kimmel quipped. "It's what Jesus constantly said! It's in the Bible. He says it's simpler for a camel to go through the eye of a needle if you give the needle a million dollars."

Seth Meyers covering Economic Struggles

Elsewhere, Seth Meyers focused on Trump's slipping poll numbers during economic worries. "People gave Donald Trump a second term because they were upset about the economy," he noted.

Recently, in a attempt to address prices, Trump conducted a briefing in front of a array of food items, and behaved oddly to boxes of cereal.

"Lovely packaging, I think I'm going to take some of them with me to my cottage and have a lot of fun," Trump said. "Such as the Cheerios, I haven't had Cheerios in a long time."

"He is so incredibly weird," Meyers said. "Like, you're going to take them home to your cottage to have a lot of fun with them? What's the plan with those Cheerios?"

Meyers wrapped up by targeting conservative media arguments of Trump's financial record. "Perhaps rather than voicing concerns, you should give him a sparkling trophy similar to the one FIFA did," he laughed.