President Donald Trump has been a Republican of convenience, not one of principle.
That’s been amply illustrated by his protectionist trade policies, his efforts to expand the reach and power of the executive branch, and his profligate approach to the federal budget. Before Trump transformed the GOP into the party of personality, the Republican Party stood for worthy conservative principles, such as free trade, limited government and fiscal responsibility.
Hopefully, Republicans have not lost their way so badly as to seriously entertain Trump’s effort to buy votes in the upcoming midterm elections by promising a $5,000 payment to all American adults if the GOP holds on to its majorities in Congress.
As commentators from all sides of the political spectrum have noted, this amounts to a bribe – offering a direct financial benefit in return for votes – that’s more blatant than most politicians’ campaign promises. It’s ironic that a president who purports to be a champion of fair and honest elections would shamelessly propose such an overt vote-buying scheme.
Besides the ethical problems with Trump’s election enticement, there is a major fiscal one. How would the country pay for this estimated $1.2 trillion giveaway?
The only way would be to pile on more debt. The president has been adept at doing just that, such as last year’s push for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is projected to add $4 trillion to the debt over 10 years. In fact, during his two terms in office, Trump has presided over the largest debt increase in raw numbers of any president before him -- more than a fourth of the $40 trillion total. One news media critic has suggested that in keeping with the president’s penchant for personally branding things and places he covets, it might be only fair to call this perilously growing mountain of red ink the Donald J. Trump Federal Debt.
At some point, the GOP will return to its philosophical roots and reject the anti-conservative strain that Trump has injected. It may take, though, an Election Day thumping to persuade the party to reverse course.
