President Donald Trump appears to have concocted a new ploy to buy votes for Republicans during the 2026 midterm election, a scheme that one columnist described as "brazen" in a new column published on Monday.
Jamez Bovard, a columnist and author, argued in a new column for The New York Post that Trump's idea of sending $2,000 "tariff rebate" checks to American households is a brazen attempt to buy votes ahead of the midterm. He also argued that the idea seems to contradict Trump's promises to cut government spending, a promise that he articulated in the creation of the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
"Was DOGE doomed because Washington politicians remain hellbent on forcing Americans to pay any price to momentarily boost their rulers’ popularity?"Bovard asked.
"Trump recently announced that “a dividend of at least $2,000 a person (not including high-income people!) will be paid to everyone” via the federal revenue from tariffs," he added. "That payout far exceeds actual tariff revenue and is a brazen ploy to buy votes for Republicans in the midterm congressional elections."
Trump has made tariffs a signature part of his economic policy, and he has implemented them on a range of foreign goods such as appliances and lumber.
He has claimed the government has taken in "trillions" in new revenue from the tariffs, although experts remain skeptical about Trump's calculations.