EB-5 is intended to create businesses and jobs in the US as part of the process. This is just straight-up "give us money and we'll give you residency".

On the other hand, it's not out of line with programs in other countries (ex. NZ's golden visa program)

Most of those "investments" for EB-5 visas are really just shares in "businesses" that hold piles of money for the "investors." The payment straight to the treasury is both more honest and more revenue for the government.

Jobs are created by economic demand, which rich people generate a lot of. So we get this either way.

NZ’s Active Investor Plus program is more like EB-5 than this. AIP requires that migrants invest their funds, not donate them. The Growth category requires fewer residency days and a NZ$5m (~US$3m) investment in “growth” companies or funds, including VC funds and companies that VC funds invest with. The Balanced category requires double the investment and has a wider range of asset classes, but also a longer duration and higher number of days of residency required.

Someone whose political instinct is to oppose anything trump does because they hate trump has been much more consistently correct, and a better predictor of the outcomes, than someone who has been trying to analyze each of his actions giving him the benefit of the doubt as a sincere actor each time.