"Trump's giveaways" put $1.35 trillion on the table for the midterm elections
President Donald Trump has proposed a cash pledge of $5,000 for each adult American if Republicans retain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections next November, in a proposal that could cost as much as $1.35 trillion and has revived an economic question: Who will pay for these payments?
On the first day of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, Trump said he would issue a “dividend” of $5,000 to each adult citizen if Republicans won both chambers of Congress, dubbing the payment the “Trump Dividend,” and stipulated that the money must be spent within the United States.
With the U.S. adult population nearing 270 million, paying $5,000 to each person would result in a total bill of approximately $1.35 trillion.
The U.S. president insisted that he could help Republicans and defy poll expectations to keep his party in the majority in both chambers of Congress following the November 3 elections, telling his supporters, “I ask you to imagine that my name is on the voting ballots.”
The Republican president emphasized points made by other Republicans at the convention, while warning of a wave of communism threatening the United States. He stated, “It will become a communist country if they win.”
He added, “Your vote will determine whether our country stumbles at the starting line of the next 250 years or surges forward without ever looking back.”
The absence of several Republican candidates for the House and Senate from the convention underscores concerns within the party that Trump’s appeal among his loyal supporters may not be enough to overcome voter discontent over the effects of inflation and the Iran war.
On the other hand, Republican efforts received support from an unexpected source when Democratic Senator John Fetterman appeared in a pre-recorded video endorsing his “dear friend,” Republican Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania.
Fetterman said he would always “oppose extremism in socialism,” a comment likely to bolster Republican criticisms of Democrats by labeling them as far-left.
Those who took the stage in Dallas unleashed a torrent of insults against Democrats, providing compelling political material for hardline Republicans. Many of them described Democrats as “socialists” and “communists.”
Historically, the party controlling the White House loses seats in Congress during midterm elections.
The Decision Desk HQ group predicts that Democrats will win a majority in the House with 230 seats to 205 for Republicans, and secure 51 seats to 49 for Republicans in the Senate.
