'Circus bribe': Trump's $5K announcement upsets major GOP donor who threw afterparty at Dallas
WASHINGTON, DC: After President Donald Trump announced that every adult American will get $5K if Republicans win the upcoming midterms, a major party donor expressed disappointment with the president’s pledge on Thursday, September 10.
Trump announced that every adult will get what he described as a “Trump dividend” during the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday.
However, it came with a major catch: the money would only be dispensed if Republicans secure both House and Senate majorities.
GOP donor strongly against bribes
In a Thursday night X post, Joe Lonsdale, a Trump donor who threw a major party in Dallas on Wednesday in tandem with Donald Trump Jr, said that he is hugely in favor of winning the election but against the bribe that Trump announced.
“For the record, I am hugely in favor of winning the midterms, and love much about this admin, but am strongly against bread and circus bribes,” Lonsdale wrote.
For the record, I am hugely in favor of winning the midterms, and love much about this admin, but am strongly against bread and circus bribes. https://t.co/fNBeW1r3lP
— Joe Lonsdale (@JTLonsdale) September 10, 2026
One user responded to Lonsdale’s tweet by saying, “It’s our money, we should have it.”
In response, Lonsdale sarcastically suggested that the dividend should be raised to $5 million because “we can just print money.”
Yeah. And 5K is too small.
— Joe Lonsdale (@JTLonsdale) September 10, 2026
Why not 5 million USD to everyone? I don’t see why the average person shouldn’t get to be rich - we can just print money, right?
He added, “Why not 5 million USD to everyone? I don’t see why the average person shouldn’t get to be rich.”
Critics question cost of $5K pledge
“If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000,” Trump said. “It will be called the Trump dividend.”
Speaking to Politico, Chip Roy, the Republican US representative from Texas, sounded skeptical. “Well – I would like to know how they would plan to pay for … back of envelope … well over $1 trillion,” he said.
This would cost about $1.2 TRILLION in just one year. That's more than ALL THREE ROUNDS of COVID relief checks, despite no recessions.
— Marc Goldwein (@MarcGoldwein) September 10, 2026
The result would be a huge spike in the deficit, and almost certainly in the inflation rate. https://t.co/zTK6VOB1n7
In the moments after Trump made the announcement, Marc Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote on X that “this would cost about $1.2 TRILLION in just one year. That’s more than ALL THREE ROUNDS of COVID relief checks, despite no recessions. The result would be a huge spike in the deficit, and almost certainly in the inflation rate.”
