Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale calls Trump's $5,000 checks 'bread and circus bribes'
Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale has criticized Donald Trump's proposal to provide $5,000 checks to American adults if Republicans win the midterms. Lonsdale, a Republican donor, labeled the plan a 'bread and circus' bribe and questioned the economic feasibility of the $1.2 trillion cost.
Why it matters
The criticism highlights internal friction within the Republican donor class regarding populist economic policies and the fiscal implications of campaign promises.
Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale has come out against US President Donald Trump's proposal to send $5,000 checks to every adult American if Republicans keep control of Congress in the November midterm elections. The major Republican donor called the "Trump dividend" a bribe in a post on X, while making it clear he still wants the party to win."For the record, I am hugely in favor of winning the midterms, and love much about this admin, but am strongly against bread and circus bribes," Lonsdale wrote. The post went up around the time The Great American Midterm Party, which he co-hosted with Donald Trump Jr. on the sidelines of the Republican convention in Dallas, was scheduled to be underway.Plantir cofounder mocks Trump's $5,000 dividend with a '5 million USD' replyLonsdale, who endorsed Trump before the 2024 election, followed up with sarcasm.
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