Up next in 10
President Donald Trump said he would pay every American adult a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans retain control of Congress in November's midterm election.
Trump made the proposal at his Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention, but it was not immediately clear how the payments would work or whether they would be legal.
With approximately 270 million US adults, the idea would cost around $1.35 trillion.
Shelagh Fogarty's joined by The News Agents co-host Emily Maitlis to discuss the topic, as they also react to other news on Nigel Farage and Marine Le Pen.
Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp
#emilymaitlis #news #usnews #politics #uspolitics #worldnews #donaldtrump #trump #farage #maga #LBC
LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK.
Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/
Sign up to LBC's weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
In Dallas yesterday, in a speech at the Republicans' first ever convention
0:03
in the middle of a U.S. presidential term, Donald Trump said he would offer every adult American
0:09
that's a lot of a lot of people, a $5,000 payout. That's around £3,700
0:15
If Republicans win both chambers of Congress in November's midterm elections, something that would ultimately cost around a trillion dollars or more. Have a listen
0:25
The United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic, 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
0:55
Very much like a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders
1:15
or like last year when I gave our great members of the military 1,776. Remember
1:25
I gave it to our military, $1,776. America's getting a bonus, Emily Maitlis
1:32
I'm pretty sure it's not constitutional. No, I'm pretty sure it's not legal
1:38
I guess the question is, could it work if people just hear the top line and think..
1:44
You want $5,000? I want $5,000. Why wouldn't it work? I think I'll go and tick the Republican box
1:49
Just to put this in context as you said There is this very strange sort of three convention going on at the moment It is very unusual to have anything midterm
2:01
The midterm elections are in November, and Donald Trump has decided to have this little convention in Dallas
2:08
because Texas is a place that they're really worried about. There is a race going on right now
2:13
Texas is this deep red Republican state, very conservative, where there is the chance that a Democrat might win
2:22
And what has happened is that Donald Trump has decided, because he's not on the actual ballot
2:28
his name isn't on the ballot because it would only be on if he was standing for president, that he thinks people won't turn up
2:34
They'll stay away. They won't really bother to vote. They only come out when he's on
2:38
They won't sort of vote for a Republican. So he's trying to kind of gee up a certain momentum and make sure that people understand that this is a big deal, that if they lose the midterms, they could lose the Senate
2:51
Very much so. And he's sort of he's been out the last few weeks saying things like pretend I'm on the ballot
2:56
You know, pretend you see my name, pretend I'm on the ballot. He's trying to get people out
3:00
And so in this hour-long 40s speech, he suddenly kind of pulls out of nowhere this bribe
3:07
You know, vote for me or vote for the Republicans, I should say, and you will get 5,000 bucks
3:13
Now, I think we would be wasting our time if we calculated where this was coming from or who was paying for it
3:21
or indeed the sum total, which as you said is about 1.3 trillion dollars, because it won't ever happen
3:29
you know there is no mechanism by which a president can actually pay for people to vote for him that
3:35
would cause any sort of because it's i mean i know it's crazy but you know you just imagine you know
3:40
we were reporting yesterday on the met adding new allegations into the investigations into reform and you think of the ties and the and the the spectacles for Keir Starmer and everything But the idea that one of our party leaders or indeed our Prime Minister
3:56
would stand there and say, Vote Labour, remember, in the local elections
4:00
and you'll get two grand each household. Come on. I think you raise a really good point
4:05
which is that if he managed to do it subtly, in a way that sounded as if it was an election pledge
4:11
and, I mean, a lot of politicians say, we will put that back in your pocket you will find that is taken off your mortgage or we will put a
4:18
no new income tax exactly or windfall on on oil and gas and you will end up getting that back
4:24
that's one thing trump wasn't you'll be surprised to hear that subtle about it not like him not like
4:29
him and so you're left you're left actually with the question that has remained in my head
4:34
does it work anyway most people aren't interested in politics most people don't listen to the
4:39
the polls they don't listen to the policy they don't really sit there and yze whether
4:43
something's constitutional. But even if they don't get the five grand, it'll work on them and get them out there
4:49
I mean, at this point, I wouldn't say no. You hear a guy standing on stage saying
4:53
I'll give you £5,000 if you vote Republican. And I guess the question is, does it work anyway
4:58
Does it work subliminally? Does it work because you kind of like his optimism? Does it work because you think, what have I got to lose
5:04
Heck, why not? You know, most American voters don't really like politics, right
5:09
But they will hear something about money. And you've made me think, actually, in what you've said there
5:13
You've made me think of the Farage Bardella announcement about the boats
5:18
Yeah. He literally said that as soon as they arrive, they'll just be sent back and that's the end of it
5:23
As though that is automatically the end of it because it kind of isn't the end of it, is it
5:28
It's actually just the beginning of a whole new round. Because, well, not least because Bardella
5:33
signed one version in French and Farage signed one version in English
5:38
and they didn't say the same thing. There was an extra little bit of text which basically said that the French will ordinarily take back UK immigrants
5:50
And Bardella's now getting a whole load of stick for this at home, not least from his party leader, Marine Le Pen, who said, why did you just say that
5:58
And actually all the centrist politicians and all the leftist politicians who are saying, oh, really, do you want to make France like a doormat for England
6:07
That's the phrase they're using. Ah, so it's backfired. Yeah, so it has backfired spectacularly on Bardella
6:12
and it might even backfire on Farage in the sense that... It never sounded feasible anyway, really
6:19
Look, a lot of these things... It could be that easy, we'd be doing it, wouldn't we? Yeah, I mean, what has he basically decided
6:24
He's decided something in English that the guy who's signed the French side doesn't agree with, and now his whole party doesn't agree with it anyway
6:30
So, yeah. I mean, I think we're in election season, aren't we? We are in election season
6:35
Five grand, you could be right, though. somebody just hears five grand and thinks, oh, what the hell, I might as well vote. We might get it
6:40
Does it get you to the polls? That's all he's worrying about. It's not that what we've got at
6:44
the moment is this massive enthusiasm gap, you know, particularly in Texas, where a lot of people
6:48
don't like Ken Paxton, who is the Republican candidate. And you don't have to look at me
6:55
Look at me. Just look at what I'm saying. Look at me. Get out to the polls. Just do it anyway
7:00
Do it for me. And of course, in other aspects of politics in America, he's being accused of trying
7:04
to chill the vote in other ways, isn't they? Yeah. I mean, the mail-in ballot shenanigans
7:10
I think is the technical word, is about trying to get the post office
7:14
as in the mail service, to play the part of the electoral commission
7:18
So suddenly you've got the postal delivery service having to decide who is a legitimate voter
7:25
and having to barcode their names and addresses before they're allowed on the actual electoral roll
7:30
It is chaos. I mean, that's what he wants. He wants complete chaos to sort of make people feel the results won't be legitimate
7:37
Thanks very much, Emily. Emily Maitlis, host of the News Agents podcast
news