President Donald Trump promised $5,000 "dividend" checks for Americans if Republican candidates win control of Congress in the November midterm elections, unveiling the plan Wednesday night at the GOP midterm convention in Texas.
The proposal drew swift pushback. Fox News anchor Bret Baier pressed Vice President JD Vance on the idea, noting it could cost roughly $1.3 trillion and citing critics who say it amounts to bribing voters.
"I can hear the critics' heads exploding," Baier told Vance. "They're saying, 'The president is bribing voters to vote for Republicans to take over the House, and then he's bankrupting the country because the deficit and debt is huge and inflation would come back if this comes into play.' So how do you answer those criticisms?"
Vance called the proposal "a dividend for American workers." He argued the government is collecting "an extraordinary amount of revenue" from President Trump's tariffs on foreign companies and countries that have "historically taken advantage of American workers." That revenue, he said, helps reduce the national debt.
"If you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you're going to share in some of the benefit of this incredible wealth that we're creating in the United States of America," Vance said.
Online critics quickly labeled the plan vote buying. Some social media users drew parallels to older political tactics, with one writing, "My daddy used to call this 'vote buying.'" Others expressed skepticism about whether Trump would follow through if Republicans won.
