Trump Gold Card to be a game-changer for Indian investors: US Commerce Secretary

UPDATED: Jun 4, 2025 01:44 IST

The proposed Trump Gold Card, a USD 5 million pathway to permanent US residency, is expected to be a runaway success in India, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Monday, calling it a "wonderful opportunity" for Indian entrepreneurs and investors to link two powerful economies.

Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) Leadership Summit 2025, Lutnick outlined the vision for the Trump-backed immigration initiative that would allow wealthy foreigners to gain permanent residency in the United States, much like a Green Card, only at a premium.

“I think the ordinary path of immigration for America is changing,” Lutnick said in his keynote. "The Trump Card is coming out. I expect the Trump Card will create an enormous opportunity for people to have the ability to come to America.”

Lutnick was effusive about Indian talent and its outsized contribution to the US economy. “The success of Indian entrepreneurs in America — individuals of Indian nationality leading and running so many of the great companies of America is because they’re fantastic entrepreneurs, fantastic business people, smart, thoughtful, educated in every way.”

Under the Trump Gold Card proposal, individuals would gain residency by investing $5 million. Lutnick said the program will especially resonate in India, given the nation’s rising number of high-net-worth individuals eager to participate in global business.

“We are going to be incredibly successful in India,” Lutnick said confidently. “So when people ask me, ‘When are you coming to India?’ I’d say, ‘When I launch the Trump Card, I promise you I’m coming to India.’”

He added that the Gold Card offers more than just a visa —it offers a flexible tax option. “You can become like a green card holder, the equivalent of it—it’s the Trump Gold Card. You can do it that way and pay global tax, or keep everything the way it is and pay US tax on US assets, and nothing on your global assets. No inheritance tax either.”

He said that creates a new class of investor: “an international entrepreneur.”

Lutnick also discussed trade and technology partnerships between the US and India, saying both nations stand to gain as America seeks to bring back advanced manufacturing while deepening its ties with trusted allies.

“There are enormous numbers of product categories that we’d really like to go to India,” Lutnick said. “India will benefit from a trade deal that gives it a better tariff relationship than most countries in the world.”

In the tech space, Lutnick emphasized future collaboration. “We want our allies to participate in the AI revolution with us. And if India is interested—and of course it is—we are ready, willing, and look forward to embracing India as a partner and friend in that path.”

With immigration, trade, and tech all in play, Lutnick’s remarks signal a deeper realignment in US-India ties under a Trump administration, one that bets big on Indian entrepreneurship, capital, and innovation.