House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that Donald Trump’s plan to pay every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain power in the midterm elections was a part of the president’s “brainstorming.”
Trump floated the idea during the GOP’s first midterm convention last week in Dallas, sparking bipartisan criticism.
When Johnson was asked whether he would support the promised payout, known as the “Trump Dividend,” he tried to pivot to a pro-GOP talking point.
“Well, look, what the president was doing is reminding the American people of our extraordinary record of success and the fact that they had more money in their pockets under Republican control of Congress and the White House,” Johnson said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Johnson also told moderator Kristen Welker that Trump’s promise was a part of his “brainstorming” effort to find “ways to further incentivize and grow the economy and make sure that Americans keep more of their hard-earned dollars.”
He also said such an appropriation would be something “we’ll process through Congress and talk through and debate and discuss.”
Johnson then boasted about the benefits of Republican economic policies, and provided what he called “real statistics.”
“We gave the largest middle- and working-families tax cut in U.S. history, more wages, more jobs, more on-shoring of American manufacturing, and that was a lot of fun to tout at the convention and draw people’s attention to it because we have a contrast election coming up here on November 3rd,” he said.
Welker pushed back on Johnson’s claim.
“It’s worth noting wages went up 3.1%, inflation 3.4%, so not keeping pace with inflation,” she told Johnson.
Welker also quoted Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who said that tax and spending decisions, like the proposed “Trump Dividend,” should “not appear to be tied to election results.”
“The president said that these checks are contingent on election results,” Welker said, and asked if Trump was simply attempting to “buy votes.”
“No, of course not,” Johnson said. “Remember, the Democrats who are making that claim are the same ones who gave out COVID checks and all sorts of stimulus checks.”
Welker then had to remind him that Collins is a Republican.
Watch Johnson’s appearance on “Meet the Press” below. Skip to the 0:37 mark to hear his comments: