RARE STRATEGY:
Trump likened the payments to shareholder distributions, but dividends are only paid when there is a surplus and the US has US$40tn in debt
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday pledged to send every US adult US$5,000 if Republicans retain control of the US House of Representatives and Senate in the midterm elections, an extraordinary gambit to reverse his party’s sagging fortunes in November.With approximately 270 million US adults, the idea would cost about US$1.35 trillion, require congressional approval and would further exacerbate the country’s nearly US$1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and concerns about inflation.It was not immediately clear how the US$5,000 payments would work or whether they would be legal. The White House did not respond to a message seeking details.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump watch him speak at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday.
“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get US$5,000,” Trump said during the Republican’s midterm convention in Dallas. “It will be called the Trump Dividend.”He likened the payments to a corporation’s distributions to shareholders, citing “our tremendous strength and success economically.”
