It may not be bribery, but Trump’s $5,000 promise rings hollow based on his history of lies

Americans would never fall for a ridiculous promise like this, would they? Really?

Courtesy of the Financial Times

By J.C. Bruce

Tropic Press

Republicans supporting Herbert Hoover for president nearly a century ago promised voters “a chicken in every pot” if Hoover won the election.

Instead of a chicken dinner, his 1928 election marked the start of the Great Depression.

Now comes Donald Trump promising $5,000 for every adult in the United States if voters return enough Republicans to Congress so the G.O.P. can retain control.

“So if the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000,” Trump said at his “Trump-a-palooza” pep rally in Dallas last night.

“It will be called the Trump Dividend.”

Trump isn’t the least bit embarrassed about this shameless attempt to buy votes. He’s desperate. Democrats are leading in the polls, and if they take over—at a minimum—the House, the investigations into Trump’s criminal conduct will begin with vigor.

Unsaid, of course, is exactly how Trump’s promised largesse would be paid for. There are about 250 million adult citizens in the U.S. If the federal government wrote each a $5,000 check, that would come to $1.3 trillion.

It’s money the government would have to borrow, adding to every single American’s share of the national debt, which now tops $40 trillion, $11 trillion of which has been accumulated during Trump’s two terms—so far.

Can you imagine how Republicans would react if a Democrat promised this kind of giveaway?

Certainly sounds like Trump’s mouth is writing checks his bank account can’t cash. Certainly not his personal bank account.

It’s outrageous, of course. But is it illegal?

Probably not.

While federal laws like 18 U.S.C. § 597 make it strictly illegal to pay people how to vote, legal experts say there’s a crucial difference between illegal vote-buying and campaign promises.

Put another way, it’s not illegal for politicians to make promises they can’t — or don’t even intend to — keep.

And by now we’re used to Trump’s dishonesty.

• He’s the guy who promised Mexico would pay for the wall.

• He continues to lie about how the 2020 presidential election was “stolen.”

• He bragged that the Iran war would be over in a week.

• He lied to Americans about the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak, claiming it would be “over like a miracle.”

• And he continues to boast that he’s created the “greatest economy in the world” when, in fact, the numbers show the economy was stronger under both the Clinton and Obama administrations.

And, speaking of the economy, it certainly wouldn’t be stronger with yet another $1.3 trillion in debt layered on top of the trillions in red ink from his atrocious giveaway to billionaires in his Big Beautiful Budget Bill.

It’s tempting to suggest that if he’s going to bribe voters, he should have stuck with chickens. Or Big Macs.

After all, Americans are way too smart to fall for something like this, right? Right?

What do you think?

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J.C. Bruce

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