Fact Check: Did Trump say $5000 dividend would exclude Democrats and non-citizens?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following President Donald Trump’s announcement of $5000 dividend to every American adult if the Republicans win the Midterms, a rumor began circulating on social media claiming that the dividend would exclude Democrats and non-citizens. The claim has sparked speculation among many, who are calling for a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump clarified who doesn't qualify for $5000 dividend
According to the viral claim, Trump announced that his $5000 dividend would not cost over a trillion dollars because many don’t qualify for it, making it clear that anyone belonging to the DSA or the ACP would not qualify.
"They did the math wrong," Trump allegedly clarified to Fox News' Jesse Watters. "They included every adult in America. They should deduct every illegal and every non-citizen, which drops it by at least 70 million people."
"There aren't as many registered Democrats as there used to be, but they'll only get $500. This is a program to help true Americans only. Democrats are lucky to get a piece at all."
The claim that surfaced on Facebook has garnered tens of thousands of views, with many expressing speculation and questioning the authenticity of the alleged announcement, prompting a fact check.
Fact Check: The claim originated as satire
Although Trump did announce a dividend of $5000 to every adult if the Republicans won the upcoming Midterms, there is no evidence of stating that Democrats, the Communist Party, and non-citizens would be exempted.
There are no recent Fox News interviews involving Trump and Jesse Watters in which the president made the clarifications. Hence, the above remarks attributed to Trump are fake and fabricated.
If Trump had really made such an announcement, it would not go unreported by prominent news outlets.
Moreover, the Facebook post that made the claim was accompanied by an image of Trump, which has overlay text in the bottom corner, stating, “Nothing on this page is real,” suggesting that it is a satire.
Donald Trump promises $5000 dividend if Republicans win midterms
Trump proposed $5000 to every American adult during his speech at the first-ever GOP midterm convention in Texas, making it the first public announcement of the proposed payment, which he described as a return tied to what he called the country’s economic success.
"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, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," he said.
