Money can’t buy Trump love, but he’s giving it a try anyway

President Donald Trump is stacking up promises of direct payments as he tries to lift his standing with voters, MS NOW commentator Steve Benen writes. Roughly a million Americans are set to receive $500 rebate checks tied to the Affordable Care Act, and more than 20 million seniors are slated to get $90 checks toward Medicare Part B premiums, a step whose legality is in question. The largest proposal would send $5,000 to every American adult, conditioned on their voting to keep a Republican-led Congress.

Benen argues the $5,000 plan has the same flaws it had a month ago. Its cost is about $1. 3 trillion, it appears unlawful, it would require congressional approval that he says will not come, and it would worsen inflation. He also notes Trump could act before the midterms if he were serious. Polls show the public resisting the idea, and Republicans are divided over it. At a Monday night rally in Nebraska, Trump called covering the cost "easy."

Benen contrasts this with remarks House Speaker Mike Johnson made over the weekend, cautioning that politicians promising free things carry a hidden price in lost freedom and higher costs.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →