Wall Street Journal editorial board denounces ‘preposterous’ Trump dividend plan

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board on Thursday slammed President Trump’s proposal to dole out $5,000 checks to every U.S. adult if the GOP wins control in both chambers of Congress in November.

The board noted in its opinion that the plan would amount to about $1.2 trillion when applied to the country’s roughly 240 million adult citizens.

“The amount is so preposterous that you’d almost think Mr. Trump is trying to show voters the absurdity of such income redistribution,” the board wrote.

The president debuted the controversial plan during his speech at the Republican National Committee’s convention in Dallas on Wednesday evening. He has not clarified where the money would be sourced.

“Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them … because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump told the crowd.

The proposal drew immediate backlash, including from some Republicans. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) warned its implementation could “lead to more debt and inflation,” while former Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) knocked it as a “socialist vote-buying scheme.”

The outlet’s editorial board accused the president of using the proposal to distract from discontent within the Republican Party around his administration’s tariffs on U.S. trade partners, like Canada and Mexico.

“Mr. Trump is resorting to this because voters are unhappy about inflation and don’t think his economic policies have helped them,” the board wrote. “His tariff tax increases are a big part of the reason. If he repealed those, he’d give the country an economic dividend without spending a dime.”

The U.S. imposed tariffs last month on a large swath of Canadian goods after the two countries failed to reach a new trade agreement. After Canada responded with retaliatory tariffs, Trump announced heightened tariffs on Canadian imports to go into effect early next year.

The president’s economic approval rating has also taken a hit during his administration’s ongoing military operations against Iran. The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading corridor, has driven up global energy rates.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.