At last night’s Dallas lie session, Donald Trump offered to pay every American $5,000 if Republicans win the mid-term election. This morning, Trump announced a pre-election bribe of $500 to Americans he says were overcharged for Affordable Care Act insurance—no, not the millions whose premiums have skyrocketed or who have been priced out of coverage under his misadministration, but just a million policyholders whom he says were overcharged during the previous administration:
The Trump administration is promising $500 rebate checks to an estimated 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees across 30 states, whom the White House alleges were overcharged by the Biden administration for exchange fees.
…“The relief begins with refunding everyone who was overcharged and the rebates are going out in just a few weeks,” President Donald Trump said in a recorded address released on the White House X account Thursday.
…It is unclear where the money for the rebates would come from and whether it requires congressional approval for disbursement.
Trump’s announcement comes as the price of ACA insurance has skyrocketed for many Americans during his own second term. The Trump administration opposed extending COVID-era subsidies that had helped offset the costs of health insurance for most enrollees during Biden’s term.
After the Republican-led Congress allowed the subsidies to expire this year, premiums doubled or tripled for many enrollees, prompting millions to downgrade their plans or exit the program entirely [Fatima Hussein and Ali Swenson, “Trump Promises $500 Obamacare Rebate Checks for 1M Enrollees in 30 States,” AP, 2026.09.10].
The White House includes South Dakota in the list of 30 states to which rebates will be sent starting next month. No word yet on whether Trump will use his national voter database to target swing voters with this pre-election rebates.
This mid-term scheme underscores Donald Trump’s chronic weakness as President. He can’t collaborate with experts and lawmakers to come up with any real, lasting policy solutions; he just throws his mouth and other people’s money at boosting his own image and denigrating others.