Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy had high praise Thursday morning for President Trump’s latest bombshell announcement: a pledge to hand every American adult a $5,000 dividend check if Republicans hold onto the House and Senate in November.
Campos-Duffy, filling in for Ainsley Earhardt on the morning show, called the move “creative and rule-breaking,” praising the president for thinking outside the box in a way she said she was surprised nobody had tried before.
Trump unveiled the pledge Wednesday night during his keynote speech at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas. “Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our tremendous economic success, like in history. We’ve never had anything like what’s happening. But because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump told the crowd.
Campos-Duffy, whose husband Sean Duffy serves as Trump’s Transportation Secretary, said the strategy could be exactly the kind of momentum boost Republicans need heading into a tough midterm cycle. “It’s actually a great way to sort of get that momentum, push things forward,” she said. “Especially if you are running as the incumbent in the midterm, you know you’re already going to have those headwinds. This was a brilliant idea on their part.”
Predictably, the left wasted no time attacking the plan, with critics on social media branding it a “bribe” aimed at buying votes ahead of the election. Vice President JD Vance was pressed on that exact criticism by Fox anchor Bret Baier, who relayed the argument that Trump is essentially paying off voters while worsening the deficit and risking inflation.
Vance pushed back firmly, framing the payout as a dividend earned through Trump’s economic policies rather than a giveaway. “What the president’s talking about is fundamentally a dividend for American workers,” Vance said, pointing to what he described as extraordinary revenue generated by Trump standing up to foreign companies and countries that have taken advantage of American workers for decades.
Whether or not the $5,000 dividend ever materializes, one thing is clear: Trump continues to find fresh, unconventional ways to energize his base and keep Republicans on offense heading into a critical election. Love it or hate it, the plan has Washington talking, and Trump wouldn’t have it any other way.
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