Gimmick or giveback? Even some Trump supporters don't expect to get $5,000 checks after midterms

President Donald Trump is promising $5,000 payments to voters if Republicans hold both chambers of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterms, but skepticism is surfacing even among people who turn out for his rallies. The pledge adds to a pattern of financial promises he has made when politically pressed, including $2,000 tariff dividends and refunds from Department of Government Efficiency savings, neither of which ever arrived, according to PBS NewsHour.

At rallies in Alaska, Texas, Kentucky and Georgia, reactions varied. Jamie Alvarez said votes should not be bought, while Joseph Eatherton said he did not know whether Trump could deliver. Lucy Martinez, who leads a Republican women's club, expects the money. Amy Frederiksen, a former Republican Minnesota Senate majority leader, told PBS NewsHour's AP reporters that most people have stopped believing such offers. An AP-NORC poll from September found roughly half of registered voters think Trump breaks his promises, compared with about 4 in 10 Republicans who say he keeps them.

Trump concedes the cost would top $1 trillion. The White House points to trade deals, foreign investment pledges, stakes in private companies and oil and mineral agreements as funding sources.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →