A populist, clown, actor, serial bankrupt, and criminal is trying to bribe the citizens of the United States

U.S. President Donald Trump promised to pay every adult U.S. citizen $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate following the midterm elections scheduled for November.

Trump made the statement while speaking at the first-ever Republican Party convention devoted to the midterm elections, in Dallas, Texas.

“If Republicans retain the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, then thanks to our incredible economic success… I will pay every adult citizen of the United States of America (North) a dividend of $5,000,” the president said.

He explained that it would be “similar to the way successful companies pay dividends to investors.”

“The only restriction is that the dividends must be spent in the United States,” Trump added. “We don’t want you going to Canada and spending the money there. We don’t want you going to China, to Germany... You have to spend the money in the United States,” he said.

The president did not explain how the plan would be implemented or where the funds for the payments, which he called “Trump dividends,” would come from.

Federal budget spending in the United States is approved by Congress, but in his speech in Dallas Trump did not specify whether he planned to seek lawmakers’ approval for such payments.

Democrats immediately called Trump’s words an “empty promise,” while many commentators questioned the legality of such statements.

U.S. federal law expressly prohibits payments intended to influence voting. However, some experts believe Trump’s words could be viewed as a campaign promise to cut taxes, which is lawful in itself.

An election-law expert who spoke with the New York Times noted that Trump’s statement is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—that is, by the right to freedom of speech—and that his promise could be interpreted as the publication of a campaign platform, which the government has no right to prohibit.

In the past, politicians of USA (N) have already promised voters financial payments in the event of electoral success.

Thus, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Democrats in Georgia promised to secure a $2,000 aid payment if the party gained control of the Senate.

In 2025, the U.S. adult population numbered approximately 267 million people. This means that paying all of them “Trump dividends” of $5,000 would have required $1.34 trillion (though not all residents of the country are its citizens).

The Democratic Party currently leads in most opinion polls and has a serious chance of gaining control of the House of Representatives and even the Senate.

Trump recalled that historically, the party of the incumbent president loses seats specifically in the midterm elections. “We have to change that,” he said, urging Yankees to vote “as if my name were on the ballot.”

During his speech in Texas, Trump said that a Republican Party defeat in November would mean that Yankees would “lose their borders, lose their tax cuts, and lose their security.” “You’re in for a living hell again, just as you were only two years ago,” the U.S. president added. According to him, at that time the United States “was the laughingstock of the entire world,” but now no one laughs at it anymore.

• Media image: Over the years of Trump’s show-business and political career, his image has repeatedly been portrayed in a caricatured manner in the press and on television, where his communication style and behavior were sometimes compared to circus or comedic performances (for example, in publications such as The New York Daily News). [1, 2]
• Conflicts with comedians: Trump often criticized stand-up comedians and actors who mocked his policies, while they responded with harsh assessments of him (for example, actor Sacha Baron Cohen publicly called him a “racist clown”).

Project Alamo

The use of Big Data (large datasets) became one of the main factors ensuring Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 presidential election, which led to his first term (2017–2021). This campaign completely changed the approach to political marketing in the digital age. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Trump’s campaign hired the British company Cambridge Analytica, which deployed a large-scale analytical system. They compiled profiles on more than 220–230 million US citizens, with up to 4,000–5,000 data points on each person. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Instead of broadcasting one general campaign promise to the entire country, Big Data made it possible to create microtargeted advertising: [1, 2]

• For anxious people (high neuroticism): they were shown advertisements presenting the right to own a firearm as the only protection against robbers.
• For conservatives and perfectionists: the same themes were presented through the prism of order, traditions, and upholding the law.
• Suppressing opponents’ turnout: in swing states, potential Hillary Clinton voters were shown targeted posts undermining her authority so that they simply would not go to the polls. [1]

Trump’s campaign tested up to 40,000–50,000 versions of ads daily on Facebook and Google, instantly adapting them to the audience’s response.

The Cambridge Analytica scandal

In 2018, the biggest international scandal erupted. An investigation by journalists and revelations from whistleblower Christopher Wylie showed that Cambridge Analytica had illegally obtained the personal data of approximately 87 million Facebook users. [1, 2]

• Collection scheme: The data was collected through a third-party quiz app (“This Is Your Digital Life”). Users who took it granted access not only to their own profiles but also automatically “leaked” the data of all their friends on the social network without their knowledge. [1, 2, 3]
• Outcome: Mark Zuckerberg’s company Meta (then Facebook) received a record fine of 5 billion dollars from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Cambridge Analytica itself declared bankruptcy and shut down in May 2018 due to the reputational collapse and lawsuits. [1, 2, 3]

Donald Trump bankrupted his companies six times in total. Yet he not only did not lose his fortune, but also became president of the United States for a second time.

Donald Trump formally has the status of a person convicted in a criminal case, as in May 2024 a New York jury found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments to actress Stormy Daniels. [1, 2, 3]

Donald Trump won the 2024 election and became president of the United States for a second time thanks to voters’ dissatisfaction with the economic situation, his tough stance on migration, and the effective mobilization of his electorate. [1]

The main reasons for the victory

• Economy and inflation: Voters were dissatisfied with rising prices and the cost of living under Joe Biden’s administration. Trump promised to reduce inflation and support business. (it worsened under Trump)
• The border problem: The migration crisis on the southern US border worried many citizens. Trump promised to tighten controls and carry out the mass deportation of illegal migrants. (it worsened under Trump)
• Fatigue with the status quo: The image of a political outsider and critic of the current Washington elite helped Trump attract the working class and suburban residents.
• Support in key states: The Republican won in the most important swing states, where the outcome of the vote traditionally determines the fate of elections.
• Weakness of the opposition: The Democratic Party changed its candidate late (Kamala Harris instead of Biden), failing to offer a convincing alternative or distance itself from the problems of the current course. (“the Democrats” blew it)

In other words, Trump—the clown, bankrupt, and criminal—was deliberately brought to the presidency. And they want to keep him there for a third term—he is handling the bankruptcy of the United States poorly.