Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One on Thursday and confirmed a startling lack of interest in the government’s newest residency program. The “Gold Card” visa, which allows foreigners to live and work in the United States for a price of $1 million, has found only a single buyer so far. This news comes as wealthy Americans are increasingly looking to leave their own country, according to data provided to Immigration New Zealand. While the White House touts a $5 million “Platinum Card” for those seeking to avoid taxes on foreign income, the reality on the ground suggests a deeper crisis of faith in the national covenant. At least 234 American applications representing 711 individuals have been filed for New Zealand’s Active Investor Plus program recently. One American couple told Newsweek they plan to leave the country because of their concerns over the use of military forces in domestic cities. This transactional view of citizenship—where a passport is a commodity to be bought or a burden to be fled—is a departure from the traditional understanding of the nation as a home. The “No Kings” movement in the United States has gained traction among those who fear that executive authority has grown too insulated from accountability. A spokesperson for the movement warned that the presidency is now being treated as a position above the law. Read together, the lack of interest in the Gold Card and the flight of capital to New Zealand describe a nation where the sacred bond of citizenship is being replaced by a retail contract. This paper sees a country under immense social pressure; the causal link between executive policy and this loss of civic trust is evident to anyone watching the National Mall protests. True citizenship cannot be bought with a million dollars, and a true home is not something one abandons when the political weather turns cold.