Reporter quips Mike Johnson over Susan Collins’ comments about Trump’s $5K promise. He seemingly forgets she is a Republican Senator
He may have become confused
People online are questioning Speaker Mike Johnson’s cognitive abilities after he seemingly called a senior Republican senator a Democrat. However, a deeper look shows that in his effort to dodge a question and shift blame onto Democrats, his phrasing made it appear as if he was blaming Susan Collins for accusing Trump of attempting to sway votes by offering $5K checks to Americans.
On Monday’s episode of Meet the Press with Kristen Welker on NBC News, Johnson was asked about Collins’ comments on Trump’s offer. Welker read Collins’ remarks, saying, “Tax and spending decisions should be made based on the needs of the American people and the state of the economy; they should not appear to be tied to election results.” Then Welker asked Johnson whether Trump’s comments meant he wanted to buy votes.
Responding to Welker, Johnson said, “No, of course not.” He continued, “The Democrats who are making that claim are the same ones who gave out COVID checks and all sorts of stimulus checks…” Welker then interjected to clarify that Collins was a Republican, saying, “Susan Collins is a Republican.”
Johnson then told Welker that he knew Collins’ affiliation and went on to speak about Trump being the “lead Republican in the country.” He elaborated on Trump’s money-offering claims and said, “What he is articulating there is the obvious truth that you’d have more money in your pockets with Republicans in control than with Democrats.”
Trump’s promise
On Wednesday, at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, Trump stood before a large audience and promised to give every American $5,000 if Republicans won the upcoming midterm elections and secured the Senate and House. Trump’s comments drew criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike, including Susan Collins.
Trump’s former Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, also chimed in on the issue while speaking to Fox Business and expressed doubt that Trump’s assertions would come to fruition. He said that after running the numbers; he found that about $1.3 trillion was required. He added that even if “tariff revenues” were used, they would raise only about $300 billion, which wasn’t enough.
JD Vance wasn’t among Trump’s critics and instead offered more clarification on the matter, saying the money would go only to people who were not wealthy. He also said the money would come from the revenue raised as a result of Trump’s tariff policies, which, again, if we go by what Mulvaney said, is not sufficient.
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