"Where's the Funding for the 6.7 Million Won Payout?"... Trump Points to "That Beautiful Word, Tariffs"

▲ U.S. President Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump cited tariff revenue on the 10th (local time) as the funding source to fulfill his promise of distributing 5,000 dollars (approximately 6.7 million won) per adult U.S. citizen if the Republican Party wins the November midterm elections.

When asked about the funding source for the 5,000 dollar dividend during an interview with Fox News on this day, President Trump said, "We are taking in 21 trillion dollars. No country has ever taken in an amount anywhere near that," adding, "And that's thanks to that beautiful word, tariffs."

President Trump's mention of 21 trillion dollars is interpreted as referring to the total amount of investment from other countries expected to flow into the U.S. under his tariff policies, rather than the U.S. government's tariff revenue.

Fox News explained that this response implies tariff revenue could serve as part of the funding for this pledge if the Republican Party maintains control of Congress through a midterm victory.

This interpretation is also supported by the fact that Vice President JD Vance, who appeared on Fox News earlier in the day, stated that the funding for the "Trump dividend" would be covered by tariff revenue.

However, even the pro-Trump Fox News, which conducted the interview, expressed skepticism, noting that annual U.S. tariff revenue of around 200 billion dollars "falls far short of the estimated cost of this pledge."

U.S. media outlets estimate that at least 1 trillion dollars would be needed to fulfill the "5,000 dollars per person if Republicans win" pledge announced by President Trump at the Republican National Convention the previous day.

In the interview, regarding other potential financing methods, President Trump mentioned, "We are making money. Take TikTok, for instance," and added, "We collected a fee. I secured a fee for our country. Ten billion dollars from Intel."

It has been reported that in the process of transferring TikTok's U.S. operations to a joint venture centered around U.S. investors, the investors paid a total of 10 billion dollars in fees to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

The 10 billion dollars received from Intel is believed to refer to the value of the Intel stake acquired by the U.S. government.

Additionally, President Trump stated, "I think the Republicans have a very good chance of winning [the midterms]," but claimed that if the Republicans do not win, it would lead to a Democrat-led "impeachment inquiry," saying, "They have been talking about paralyzing this country with political gridlock."

Criticizing the Democratic Party, President Trump remarked, "They (Democrats) are the radical left. They are also socialists, but they are communists," adding, "What they have are bad policies."

When asked whether he regrets the war with Iran, which has made the midterm election landscape difficult, he answered, "No regrets," and "I don't believe in the word regret."

He then asserted, "If I had to do it all over again, I would do the exact same thing," and claimed, "I eliminated their nuclear capabilities."

He further predicted that oil prices, which have spiked due to the war, will drop immediately once the war ends, stating, "I believe this [war] will end right after the election. Maybe right before, but I think right after."

(Photo: Getty Images)

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