WASHINGTON — One week from a midterm election dominated by affordability concerns, President Donald Trump joked that the $5,000 dividend checks he's offered to Americans for their votes wouldn't pay for much at the pricey Mar-a-Lago resort he owns.
Trump discussed the private resort's expensive menu at an Oct. 27 midterm campaign rally in Corpus Christi, Texas as he urged Americans to spend the $5,000 he's promised them ‒ conditioned on Republicans keeping control of the House and Senate ‒ in the United States, not overseas.
"Go to Florida, go to any one of our great places," Trump said. "You could even come to Mar-a-Lago. I said it the other night. You'll be my guest at Mar-a-Lago. The problem is that for $5,000, the most you'll be able to buy
is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert. I'm not even sure you could buy that. No, don't go there. That's not a good place if you're price conscious."
Much of the crowd laughed in response.
If Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm election, Trump has vowed his administration will send $5,000 checks to all American adults. The offer, panned by Democrats and even some MAGA allies as a bribe for votes, would cost an estimated $1.3 trillion and require congressional action.
A Pew Research Center poll this month found 60% Americans say they don't have enough income to lead the life they want and 70% say they have cut back on extra spending such as eating out.
Yet despite the economy and cost-of-living topping the concerns of voters, Trump throughout the midterm campaign has touted the strength of the economy and mocked "affordability" as a term manufactured by Democrats.
Trump: US making an 'absolute fortune' off war in Iran
Trump has also vigorously defended his decision to go to war against Iran, saying the spike in gas prices that has resulted is a "small price to pay" for limiting Iran's nuclear capability.
At his rally in Texas, Trump boasted that energy companies are now getting more of their oil supply from the United States as the U.S. enforces a blockade on Iranian ports. "Your country is making an absolute fortune because of the situation in the Middle East," Trump said. "We're steering them all to Texas. We're steering them to Louisiana. Alaska is a big beneficiary."
The president then mocked the media for reporting on similar comments he has made about the economy benefitting from the war. "They said, 'Isn’t it terrible? He forgot about the price at the pump.'"
"No, your price is going to come down, but your country's making a fortune, and that's really good, right?" Trump said.
Meanwhile, Trump's dive into Mara-a-Lago's pricey menu came as Republicans, in full force, have worked to paint Democrats as elitist after former President Barack Obama on the campaign trail referenced the Cheesecake Factory in a joke about Trump's gold-themed White House renovations.
At an Oct. 24 rally in Michigan, Obama said the White House looks like "Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory," leading Republicans to accuse the former president of mocking Americans who consider the popular restaurant chain a a nice place to dine.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says $5,000 dividend checks wouldn't go far at pricey Mar-a-Lago
