Trump's $5,000 dividend promise draws backlash, legal questions
Trump's $5K check promise draws backlash
President Donald Trump promise to give every U.S. adult citizen $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms is drawing backlash and legal concerns. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has the latest.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - President Donald Trump made a bold pledge at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, something critics labeled a "desperate gimmick" and "half-baked political scheme."
What Trump promised
Speaking to the convention crowd on Wednesday, the president laid out his vision for a direct payment to Americans.
"Because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," he said.
The promise comes with a condition: Republicans must hold onto both the House and Senate in the midterm elections in November.
What critics are saying
The pledge is drawing sharp criticism from multiple directions.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan watchdog, described it as "fiscally dangerous" and said it could cost $1.2 trillion, add to mounting national debt and worsen inflation.
Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum, dean of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, called it a "desperate gimmick."
In a statement on Thursday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said: "Instead of making another promise about checks down the road, the president should end his tariff chaos and actually work to lower costs for families right now."
FOX 9 Political Analyst David Schultz said the plan has serious legal problems and would need congressional sign-off to move forward.
"The president's wrong – he can't just write a check from the Treasury [Department] to do this," he explained. "[It] runs dangerously close, if not cross[es] the line, into political bribery."
Schultz also noted the proposal raises serious legal concerns.
"It runs dangerously close to violating federal and state laws," he said. "This will consume a lot of media time that might distract his opponents from talking about other types of issues."
How it compares to promises from other politicians
This is not the first time a president or candidate has made promises to voters ahead of an election. During the 2020 presidential race, former President Joe Biden pledged to forgive some student loan debt if elected. But Schultz said there was a key difference – Biden made a policy promise, not a promise of direct cash payments to voters.
The other side:
Republican members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.