Donald Trump has promised throughout the campaign to make things easier economically if he returns to the White House. This week, he did that one better, by literally handing out cash on a campaign trip.
On a campaign visit to a Pennsylvania supermarket this week, Trump was shown handing $100 to a supermarket clerk, as well as others at the store.
According to Fox Baltimore, Trump was seen “handing out bills to shoppers checking out at Sprankles Neighborhood Market in Kittanning. One individual, identified as a mother of three by the Trump campaign, appeared grateful to receive $100 toward her purchase.”
“We’ll do that for you from the White House, alright?” Trump said while doing so, per the report, indicating that if he returns to the presidency, he will put more money in the pockets of everyday Americans.
Trump hands out cash to a voter in Pennsylvania.
Is this legal?pic.twitter.com/XwHdsz9bvA
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 24, 2024
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Candidates giving voters money on the campaign trail, on camera, is not frequent in presidential politics. There’s an old tradition, in political machine cities, of “walking-around money” or “street money” on election day, but it hasn’t typically involved the candidate himself giving voters cash directly.
Once the video emerged of Trump doing this, many began to question whether handing out cash directly to voters is even legal. Is Trump bribing voters? Could this result in him getting charged with (another) crime? The Daily Show seemed to think so:
Attention shoppers: one lucky customer just committed his 1,000th crime! pic.twitter.com/DQgRYMxlDC
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) September 25, 2024
That was also the reaction many others had:
What Trump calls a “campaign stop” is actually called “bribery,” according to federal law.
Both sides of this exchange could face enforcement action.
— The Millennial Snowflake 🇵🇸 (@Teh_Snowflake) September 24, 2024
Trump is now handing out cash to voters. Is he now vote-buying?? pic.twitter.com/9k1l6RVPib
— OBA OF TEXAS👑 🇳🇬🇺🇸 (@OBAofTexas) September 24, 2024
Could Trump actually be charged with a crime for handing out money in that fashion? That would appear unlikely, between the relatively small dollar amount, and the lack of an expressly stated quid pro quo in which Trump agrees to give them money in exchange for a promise to vote for him.
This is not, however, the only bribery allegation involving Trump to emerge in recent months.
In early August, the Washington Post reported that, in 2019, the Justice Department investigated whether Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi “sought to give Trump $10 million to boost his 2016 presidential campaign.”
It is not proven that the bribe was actually made. The Trump-era Justice Department looked into the allegation but did not ultimately pursue it, and it was never picked up again by the Biden Administration, and the story remained out of the news until this year.
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, earlier this month, announced plans to open a probe into the Egypt affair, although they are in the minority and lack subpoena power.
Featured Image via screengrab/YouTube
