Trump 'Copying' Congress Welfare Model, Says Karnataka CM Shivakumar

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has claimed that US President Donald Trump's proposed $5,000 payout to every American adult draws on the welfare approach pioneered by the Congress, saying the party's model is now being replicated beyond India.

Speaking at an event in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the Congress's welfare template had already been adopted in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, and that the United States was now following suit. "Maharashtra copied us. Madhya Pradesh copied us. Rajasthan copied. Bihar copied. Now Trump is copying us," he said.

Referring to the proposed payout, he added that the idea showed Congress's thinking was reaching not just India but the wider world, and described it as a sign of the party's strength.

The remarks came days after Trump, speaking at a Republican Party convention in Dallas, said voters would receive the payment if the party retained control of Congress in this year's midterm elections. "If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000," Trump said, adding that the payout would be called the "Trump Dividend."

Trump has since said the United States can afford the promise. Asked by reporters whether Congress would need to approve the payments, he said the country was taking in large sums of money and could handle the cost.

Any such payment would require congressional approval. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday that the details still needed to be worked out, noting that the proposal would have to clear the legislative process.