Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.In today’s edition, Jonathan Allen digs into President Donald Trump’s latest promise to voters.Plus, Henry J.
Gomez has the details on Vice President JD Vance’s message to battleground state Republicans at the midterm convention.— Adam WollnerThe political risk behind Trump’s $5,000 pledgeAnalysis by Jonathan AllenThere are plenty of reasons President Donald Trump received criticism for promising last night to hand out $5,000 to every adult American if voters keep Republicans in charge of the House and Senate in November’s midterm election.To some on the left, it sounded like a bribe — though it is surely legal for politicians to promise public policy outcomes as they seek votes.
To some on the right, it sounded like a plan straight out of the socialist playbook.And the president of the nonpartisan Center for a Responsible Budget, Maya MacGuineas, had a few choice words about deficit spending.“This proposal is fiscally dangerous, economically backwards and fundamentally unserious,” she said in a statement.Her organization estimated the proposal would cost $1.2 trillion to implement.
Economists have also noted that a cash infusion of that size, far bigger than any of the Covid stimulus packages, would almost certainly cause further inflation.Of course, he would need Congress to go along because it controls the nation’s purse strings.And that’s why, regardless of the substantive, ideological and ethical objections the plan has engendered, it’s risky politics.Even some Trump voters are frustrated with what they say are the broken promises of the president’s second term.
He said he wouldn’t start new wars.He said he would end inflation.
He said he would stop the fighting between Russia and Ukraine on his first day in office.None of those things have h...