Reporter Grills Trump On Whether He’s ‘Throwing Money at People’ to Influence the Vote

President Donald Trump was challenged by a reporter Wednesday about recent payments of $500 and $90 that some Americans received this week.

People who were enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans via the Marketplace and who did not take advantage of subsidies began receiving checks for $500. Some Medicare recipients also received checks for $90 this week.

The president has been accused of sending the checks to curry favor with the recipients.

The Independent’s White House Correspondent Andrew Feinberg asked, “Over the last few weeks you’ve announced some $500 checks going out to ACA enrollees. $90 checks going to seniors. You want to give $5000 to people if Republicans keep control of Congress … What would you say to people who would suggest that you are just throwing money at people before the election in hopes that they vote for Republicans?”

He answered:

What we are doing is we have tremendous growth. We have the greatest growth of any country, maybe ever in history, and you’re going to see that. You are already seeing it, but you’re going to see growth numbers the likes of which nobody’s ever seen before. We are able to do things that the Democrats can’t because they would not have been able to use tariffs so wisely like we did.

You know, the tariffs are what’s bringing all this business in. Because, as an example, you make a chip. We used to just let them make their chip in Taiwan or wherever it is. Mostly in Taiwan, by the way. They will send it right in and make a fortune. Now these companies are building massive plants all because of tariffs. They are building massive plants in all parts of our country. You have to see the biggest plants anyone’s ever seen. Because they’re all coming back because they don’t want to pay tariffs of 100%, 200%, 300% on a chip, and we give them a certain period of time. No tariff. But a year from now, or half a year from now, and what they are doing is they are all building.

We’re going to be very, very self-sufficient very soon. We were subsidizing all these places, all around the world. Not going to happen anymore.

Trump announced the Medicare payments via Truth Social.

“I am pleased to announce that my Administration will, immediately, begin sending ‘Checks’ of nearly $100 to over 20 MILLION wonderful Seniors to help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums, which we have already reduced by significant amounts,” he wrote. “This money will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, a pointless ‘Slush Fund’ that has only been used by Dumocrats in Congress to pay for the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse for their Special Interest friends, and drive up Healthcare costs.”

Watch the above via Fox News.

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