President Trump rallies supporters in Clarksville ahead of early voting
By Dana Whitfield · Reporting from Washington ·
Donald Trump is in "grind it out mode," according to NBC News. He is terrified of the November 3rd midterms. To save his party, he is selling a $5,000 check to every adult in America. It is a blatant fantasy. You cannot buy an election with money that does not exist.
Donald Trump is in "grind it out mode," according to NBC News. He is terrified of the November 3rd midterms. To save his party, he is selling a $5,000 check to every adult in America. It is a blatant fantasy. You cannot buy an election with money that does not exist.
The arithmetic of a mirage
Trump told a crowd in Clarksville, Tennessee, that adults would get $5,000 every year if Republicans win. WZTV reports he claims tariff revenue will pay for it. NBC News puts the price tag at $1.3 trillion. This is not a policy. It is a lottery ticket. My father was an actuary. He taught me that you cannot fund a trillion-dollar liability with a hopeful guess.
The gravity of the midterms
Trump is right to be nervous. He told the crowd, “If we don’t win the midterms, they’re going to blame me.” The numbers back his fear. NBC News reports his approval rating is 38%. His disapproval is 59%. This is the same mechanism as the 2010 United States midterm elections. In 2010, voter sentiment and party popularity stripped the president's party of House control. Bruce Stokes told France 24 that Republicans look likely to lose the House. Trump is trying to fight gravity with rallies. He is repeating the 2018 United States midterm elections playbook. He is mobilizing the base to stop a wave. But base energy does not always translate to a majority.
The cost of institutional chaos
Trump is not just fighting polls. He is fighting the institutions that make government work. His administration banned CNN and other outlets from the White House. He already signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Trump is leveraging the national debt for a short-term win. He has felony convictions in New York. He is now treating the Treasury like a campaign fund.
Trump will lose the House. He will then pivot to blame the candidates for not being loyal enough. He will not deliver the checks. The $1.3 trillion promise will die in a congressional committee. The only way out is a return to boring competence. We need budgets that pass on time. We must stop punishing the taxpayer for fantasy arithmetic.