Fox News anchor Bret Baier confronted Vice President Vance over President Trump's promise to send $5,000 checks to every American adult if Republicans hold Congress in November, warning that the nearly $1.3 trillion price tag would be slammed as "bribing voters."
"I can hear the critics' heads exploding," Baier told Vance late Wednesday, just hours after Trump unveiled the proposal during the opening night of the GOP midterm convention in Dallas. "They're saying out loud, I guarantee you: 'The president is bribing voters to vote for Republicans to take over the House, and then he's bankrupting the country because the deficit and debt is huge and inflation would come back if this comes into play.'"
Vance pushed back, framing the payments as a "dividend for American workers." He argued that Trump's tariffs have generated "an extraordinary amount of revenue" that should be shared with the public. The administration had previously floated $2,000 tariff dividends.
"If you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you're going to share in some of the benefit of this incredible wealth that we're creating in the United States of America," the vice president said. "I don't think it's a controversial idea."
Trump made the pledge during a nearly two-hour speech, vowing to issue a $5,000 "dividend" to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans maintain their majorities in the House and Senate. "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," he told the crowd.
The president added that the money would have to be spent domestically, though he offered no specifics. "We don't want you going to Canada to spend the money," Trump said. "We don't want you going to China, to Germany."
Congress would need to approve the payout, and with roughly 270 million adults in the U.S., the cost would exceed $1 trillion — far more than current tariff revenue could cover, according to The Associated Press. The proposal has already drawn sharp criticism from fiscal conservatives, including Chip Roy's blistering take that the plan is "soul-sucking."
The Dallas convention marks a pivotal moment for the GOP as it gears up for the midterms, with Trump and Vance headlining the final night of the RNC's Dallas push. Meanwhile, Trump's massive war chest looms over the event, and Democrats are holding their own rallies in the city.
Critics argue the dividend is a transparent attempt to buy votes, while supporters see it as a tangible reward for the economic gains under Trump's trade policies. The proposal is likely to face steep hurdles in Congress, where deficit hawks and fiscal moderates may balk at the staggering cost.
