Trump's $5,000 Dividend Pitch Draws Skepticism From Michigan Voters
Michigan voters and a political scientist cast doubt on Trump's plan to send $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans hold Congress.
President Donald Trump's promise of $5,000 dividend payments to every American adult, contingent on his party retaining control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, is drawing scepticism from voters in the battleground state of Michigan.
The pledge was made at the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas, where supporters chanted "U-S-A" as Trump spoke. The proposal, which the president has likened to corporate dividends, could cost more than $1 trillion.
In suburban Detroit, Democratic voter Debbie Rosenman said she laughed when she heard the promise. "First of all, it sure sounds like a bribe. Second of all, I don't believe a word he says," she said. Rosenman also pointed to earlier proposals that did not materialise, asking where her "$5,000 DOGE check or the $2,000 tariff refund" were, and questioned how the country could afford such payments given its deficit.
Monica Yatooma, a Republican voter from the same area, said the announcement "just didn't really sit well with me." She said she would support such payments only if the country were running a surplus with its debts paid off. "My first question is, 'If every American's going to get a $5,000 dividend, where's it going to come from? Who's going to pay for that?'" she said, adding that borrowing to fund the payments would mortgage "our kids' future."
Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University, noted that US law prohibits paying people for votes. She said Trump is likely to argue that offering the money after the election clears legal hurdles, but predicted the move would be contested if attempted. Gillespie added that diverting $1.3 trillion towards payments rather than the national debt or budget deficit might deliver a short-term boost but would ultimately mean higher taxes or reduced services.
The plan would add to the country's nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit. Trump has previously explored unorthodox methods to counter the tendency of a president's party to lose seats in midterm elections, including an earlier suggestion to pay a $2,000 dividend without congressional approval.
Rosenman suggested the president's push reflects anxiety about recent electoral trends. "I do think the president is scared and he should be, because look at the most recent races all over the country have gone Democrat, and incumbents are being pushed out," she said.