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Newsom Accused Trump of Corruption Over His Promise to Pay US$5,000 if Republicans Retain Congress
The California governor sharply criticized the president’s announcement, which tied a possible payment to the midterm election results. The proposal’s viability came under scrutiny because of its cost and the need for legislative approval.
California Governor Gavin Newsom lashed out at President Donald Trump after he announced that he would give US$5,000 to every American adult if the Republican Party keeps control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
According to La Nación, Newsom described Trump as the most corrupt man ever to pass through the Oval Office and said on social media that the president is trying to buy votes. He also linked the proposal to the war driven by the federal administration and described those funds as blood money financed by taxpayers.
The presidential announcement was made on Wednesday, Sept. 9, during a Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas. There, Trump said that if Republicans win, citizens will receive US$5,000, in an initiative he called the “Trump Dividend” and presented as a scheme comparable to the distribution of dividends among shareholders.
According to Associated Press, the president attributed the idea to the economic strength of his administration, but did not explain how it would be implemented or detail the full source of the funds. The White House also did not respond to requests for clarification, while the payout would require congressional approval or consent and its cost would likely exceed US$1 trillion.
Less than an hour after the speech, Vice President JD Vance suggested that wealthy people could be excluded from the benefit and said the program could be financed with tariff revenue. However, according to the same report, that revenue would not be enough to cover the scale of the payments.
The proposal also came in a context in which the national debt surpassed US$40 trillion for the first time and the annual deficit is approaching US$1.8 trillion. Speaking to The Associated Press, Marc Goldwein, of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said Trump does not have the authority to send that money without legislative approval and questioned the idea of presenting the fiscal situation of the United States as if there were surpluses to distribute.
La Nación added that Republican Senator from Ohio Bernie Moreno said he would prepare a bill to advance the measure after the elections. It also recalled that Trump had already proposed other direct transfers, including a US$2,000 dividend and a US$1,776 check delivered in 2025 to members of the Armed Forces.
On the legality of the new announcement, lawyer John Day said, according to La Nación, that it would be a campaign promise and would not be an individual payment aimed at obtaining a specific vote, since it would reach all eligible adult citizens regardless of whether they voted or whom they chose.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
