President Donald Trump kicked off his general election push at last month’s Republican midterm convention by making voters a highly controversial offer: Keep Republicans in the majority, and every US adult will get $5,000.
Fast forward a month and a half, and he’s gone quite a bit further — and more localized — with his quid pro quos.
In fact, Trump has now offered voters in about half of states holding key Senate contests very specific things if they vote for Republicans.
Sometimes they’re couched as apparent jokes. But increasingly, they’re not. And even the supposed jokes are difficult to dismiss given Trump’s track record.
While it’s normal for politicians to tell voters what agenda items they’ll pursue if they win and gain power in Congress, many of these are promises Trump could deliver now if he wanted to. But he’s instead holding them over voters’ heads in a strikingly transactional way.
Here’s the progression of quid pro quos.
September 16 : Trump says in Gastonia, North Carolina, that he’ll tie the state’s hurricane disaster relief to voters electing Republican Michael Whatley to the Senate. “Now, if Michael loses, I’m not sending it. Okay?” Trump says, before claiming he’s “only kidding.”
Even if he was joking, the Trump administration has clearly been more generous and quicker with disaster aid in red states , and it recently admitted in court that it made grant decisions “ based solely on the political identity of the grant recipient’s state .”
October 3 : Trump says in Vandalia, Ohio, that, “when you are president, you have a lot of power over states.” He says that Ohio’s GOP senators can their access to Trump to get money for their state, but adds of Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton: “I’m not gonna help her, probably. She hates me, I guess.”
October 17 : Trump says in Highland Heights, Kentucky, “If the Republicans win, the Department of War will be investing $100 million … to revitalize a gigantic drug manufacturing facility in Winchester, Kentucky.” He then adds, “But if the Democrats win, it doesn’t, because they wouldn’t be able to do it.”
October 19 and 22 : Trump tells rallies in both Park City, Kansas, and Sioux City, Iowa, that he’ll make E15 fuel — gasoline blended with up to 15% ethanol — available on a year-round basis permanently if Republicans win. “With (Kansas GOP Sen.) Roger Marshall in the Senate, we will make year-round E15 permanent,” Trump says in the former appearance, before saying exaggeratedly: “But if (Democrat) Adam Hamilton is in, I’m not doing it. That’s it. I’m only doing it for” Marshall.
October 20 : Trump says in Greenville, North Carolina, that “if we win the House and the Senate, I will be directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims” related to water contamination at Camp Lejeune “as soon as possible.” He adds: “So, if we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it.”
October 24 : Trump says in Perry, Georgia, that he wouldn’t accept calls from Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff looking for help for farmers and other favors. Trump imagines a conversation in which he says, “Tell him I’m not in. I’m not in.” The imaginary other person responds, “But he needs money for Georgia.” Trump says, “I don’t give a damn what he wants. I’m not in.”
October 24 : Trump in a social media post signals he will stop delivering billions of dollars for Alaska if Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola wins. “I have delivered for Alaska at Historic Levels,” Trump says, before adding: “The Democrats are trying to steal this important Republican Seat and, if that happens, everything we’ve done for Alaska will come to an immediate hault” [sic].
Whether any of these comments is couched as a joke or might be read to refer to legislative action — like permanent year-round E15 — the thrust of all of them is unmistakable. Trump wants Americans to associate voting Republican with him giving them things they want.
But he would seem to have just as much power to accomplish those things today as he would after the 2026 election, even if Republicans win. (The GOP, after all, already controls the House and Senate.)
And Trump has been willing to float these quid pro quos even when they involve deadly serious subjects like hurricane relief and compensation for victims who have suffered for years from Camp Lejeune.
Trump is also now offering Americans even larger sums of money — up to $1 million — if they report fraud that results in a conviction.
It’s also not even clear that this strategy is good politics. Polls suggest Trump’s $5,000 offer, for instance, has gone over poorly.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll last month showed registered voters said 66%-18% that Trump’s promise was inappropriate . A more recent NBC News poll showed fewer than 1 in 6 registered voters thought it was likely they would actually get the money if Republicans won. And they said 46%-21% that a candidate supporting Trump’s idea would make them less likely to vote for that person rather than more likely.
But those polls haven’t dissuaded Trump from offering more quid pro quos. If anything, it’s accelerating in the final stretch of the 2026 campaign.
