Trump $5,000 ‘dividend’ vow sparks Democratic backlash
President Donald Trump vows $5,000 to every U.S. adult if Republicans win Congress, sparking sharp criticism from Democratic leaders.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans would “try” to implement President Donald Trump’s $5,000 dividend checks, but he didn’t confirm the move during a tense interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The Louisiana lawmaker was asked by host Kristen Welker if he supports sending $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate in November’s midterms. Trump made the promise during the GOP convention in Dallas last week, but it quickly faced criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
Johnson approved of the idea but stressed congressional oversight. “Like every idea that the president comes up with, he’s a great idea generator,” Johnson told Welker. “We’re going to process that in Congress and figure it all out.” But he also told the NBC host that Congress would “try to implement everything we can.”
Trump’s proposal came as he faces sinking approval ratings ahead of the November midterm elections, where Republicans hope to hold onto their congressional majority. An NBC News Decision Desk poll conducted from Aug. 20 to Sept. 1 found a near 10 percentage point drop among Republican voters who say they “strongly approve” of the president’s job performance.
Welker then asked the House speaker if the proposal was an attempt to buy votes following criticism from Sen. Susan Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Collins, who is up for re-election in November, said spending decisions should “not appear to be tied to election results.”
“No, of course not,” Johnson said, pushing back against the criticism and noting that Democrats supported COVID stimulus checks.
Direct payments during the pandemic were a part of the bipartisan CARES Act signed into law in March 2020 during Trump’s first term, although Johnson’s Democratic predecessor, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, had the House gavel.
When Welker pointed out that Collins is a Republican, Johnson responded, “That’s right,” but he said Trump is the country’s leading Republican. He later said he didn’t want to add to the national debt during another back-and-forth with Welker, telling her “I guess we’re going to spend the whole segment talking about this one issue.”
The pair later turned to Iran where Johnson said “the Iranians are not trustworthy negotiating partners,” calling the ongoing war a “difficult, complex situation.” Johnson also told Welker he wants the war to end as soon as possible.