{"id":4651,"date":"2026-08-12T20:10:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T20:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4651"},"modified":"2026-08-12T20:10:54","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T20:10:54","slug":"these-clowns-critics-vaporize-marco-rubios-smug-brag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4651","title":{"rendered":"‘These clowns’: Critics vaporize Marco Rubio’s smug brag"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

On Wednesday, after a top official of President Donald Trump took to social media with a smug claim, the internet was quick to point out that the truth in fact was \u201cliterally\u201d the opposite due to his own boss\u2019s much-touted policy. <\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Dear God\u2019: Trump\u2019s \u2018patriotic\u2019 AI slop art exhibit goes down in flames<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican citizenship is not for sale,\u201d declared<\/u> Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a rambling post about \u201cbirth tourism\u201d and how the Trump administration was defending \u201cthe integrity of U.S. citizenship.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow quickly we forget that it was literally for sale,\u201d noted Washington Post National Security Editor Ben Pauker, linking to an application for the Trump Gold Card. Launched in September, this program allows individuals and corporate-sponsored employees from abroad to buy residency for $1 million and $2 million, respectively, providing an expedited pathway to citizenship. Many pointed out the contradiction between Trump\u2019s controversial card and Rubio\u2019s claim that citizenship isn\u2019t up for sale. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt literally is, thanks to your boss,\u201d said Republicans Against Trump. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor $5M it is,\u201d said another, inaccurately using the original price Trump proposed as the program was being created. In fact, a $5 million card is supposedly launching soon \u2014 the Trump Platinum Card \u2014 which would allow foreign nationals 270 days of U.S. residency a year, in which they can live in the country without paying taxes on foreign-earned income. This card may never come to fruition, however, as the tax exemption would require Congress to approve a change in the tax code. <\/p>\n

\u201cTell me more about the Trump gold card,\u201d posted<\/u> Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson. \u201cCitizenship is quite literally for sale.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump henchman is \u2018cuckoo for cocoa puffs\u2019 and out for revenge: Jim Acosta<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThese clowns don\u2019t even know their own policies,\u201d declared<\/u> another commenter. \u201cRubio claims American citizenship is not for sale as Trump is selling $1 million gold cards to grant citizenship to wealthy foreign nationals. More proof that the US government solely exists to serve the rich.\u201d<\/p>\n

There were many similar such responses. While the card program has raised controversy and accusations of hypocrisy, it also appears to be in exceptionally low demand. When the program began in December, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that $1.3 billion \u201cworth\u201d of applications had been sold within just a few days as Trump stood by holding up the gilded ticket and said, “essentially it’s the green card on steroids.” But by late April, it was reported that only a single card<\/u> had been approved. <\/p>\n

Government records later revealed that only 165 applicants actually paid the nonrefundable $15,000 filing fee, exposing a massive gap between the administration’s grandiose revenue claims and the sluggish reality of a high-priced initiative struggling to attract buyers.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump lawyers file appeal alleging \u2018abuse\u2019 by judge<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, after a top official of President Donald Trump took to social media with a smug claim, the internet was quick to point out that the truth in fact was \u201cliterally\u201d the opposite due to his own boss\u2019s much-touted policy. \u201cAmerican citizenship is not for sale,\u201d declared Secretary of State M…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n'These clowns': Critics vaporize Marco Rubio's smug brag - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=4651\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'These clowns': Critics vaporize Marco Rubio's smug brag - 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