Legal expert says Trump’s $5,000 voter payout plan violates bribery law and immunity

At the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Donald Trump announced a "Trump dividend"—a $5,000 check to each American adult if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate. Legal analyst and former U.S. attorney Barb McQuade warned that the proposal contravenes 18 U.S.C. 597, which makes offering money to influence voting a punishable offense, with penalties up to two years in prison. She noted the statute’s five-year limitation, meaning a future Justice Department could bring charges.

Because the conduct concerns campaign activity rather than official duties, it is not covered by the presidential immunity doctrine upheld by the Supreme Court. Critics such as one outlet senior editor Charles Cooke and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have condemned the plan as economically reckless and politically catastrophic.