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u.s. news Diabierna 2 OctOber 2020

Check's in the mail? Trump doling out aid before election

(AP) — It's almost as if he's Trump said without a trace of
writing a personal check. irony. “No one even close.”
In recent days, President On Wednesday, he spoke in
Donald Trump has promised personal terms at a rally in
millions of Medicare recipi- Duluth, Minnesota, about
ents that — thanks to him his decision to sign an execu-
— they'll soon be getting an tive order declaring a nation-
“incredible” $200 card in the al emergency in the mining
mail to help them pay for pre- industry. It's a step he said
scriptions. He's called him- would provide “billions of
self “the best thing” that ever dollars” to the industry and
happened to Puerto Rico, bring “countless” jobs to the
while releasing long-stalled state's Iron Range.
aid. Trump has also taken to
showcasing the $28 billion he “I will always protect Min-
“gave” to farmers hard hit by nesota,” said Trump, who is
the trade war with China. looking to add the historical-
ly Democratic-leaning state
“What I’ve done for them, to his win column on Nov. 3.
with the $28 billion for the “It’s been very good to me.”
farmers, and that includes Trump was also happy to
you,” Trump told supporters have his name splashed on
at a rally in Newport News, checks when the U.S. Trea-
Virginia, last week — with- sury earlier this year sent eco-
out mentioning that the aid nomic stimulus payments to
was needed to offset the hit millions of Americans strug-
farmers took from his trade gling during the coronavirus.
standoff with China. “That It was the first time a presi-
includes tobacco, that in- dent’s name appeared on any
cludes a lot of things, but IRS payments, whether re-
that includes your farmers.” fund checks or other stimu-
As Trump talks up heaps of lus checks that have been
federal aid flowing to key mailed during past economic
constituency groups in the crises.
lead-up to the November
elections, he rarely mentions Similarly, the U.S. Depart-
Congress' role in the appro- ment of Agriculture is in-
priation of those dollars. cluding letters signed by the ing the pandemic. Ahead of the 1996 Democrat- China were down in the first
president in boxes of sur- Ross Baker, a congressional ic National Convention, Bill seven months of this year.
The president was in the plus food being distributed scholar at Rutgers University, Clinton signed a 90-cent hike
battleground state of North around the country to people said Trump's approach to leg- of the minimum wage into “I’ve taken in billions and bil-
Carolina last week when he in need. islation is much like his style law, legislation to improve ac- lions of dollars from China,”
proposed the idea of $200 Greg Trotter, a spokesman in the real estate world: In cess to health insurance and a Trump recently told report-
drug cards for Medicare for the Greater Chicago Food the end, he always wants to controversial bill overhauling ers. “No other president has
recipients — a move that Depository, said that some plaster his name on the fin- the welfare system as he sold done what I’ve done. I’ve giv-
comes as polls show slipping food pantries and other non- ished product. “It’s Donald himself to the electorate as a en much of it to the farmers."
support for the president profits in the Chicago area the entertainer,” Baker said. pragmatist governing from Even when he’s not dol-
among older voters. Govern- have decided to remove the “It’s one of the things that he the middle. Matt Bennett, ing out money, Trump — in
ment officials say key details, letters before distributing learned from reality televi- an aide in the Clinton White the final lap before Election
like when and how the drug the packages to clients, some sion that he’s applied pretty House who served on both Day — has taken to dangling
benefit would be paid for, are were troubled by the letters directly to the power of the of the former president’s other benefits for key voter
still being fleshed out. but don't have the time or presidency.” White House campaigns, said groups.
“I will always take care of our manpower to remove them, Trump isn't the first incum- there is little evidence that In Atlanta on Friday, Trump
wonderful senior citizens,” and others were not bothered bent president to work the le- the last-second entreaties of announced second-term
Trump said. “Joe Biden won’t by the inclusion. He said it vers of government to his ad- past presidents had signifi- plans to increase access to
be doing this." Earlier in Sep- was “inappropriate” to in- vantage ahead of an election. cant impact at the polls. And capital in Black communi-
tember, Trump used a rally in clude the letters in the boxes he's doubtful there are many ties by almost $500 billion
northern Wisconsin, a battle- so close to the election even if As Democrat Barack Obama voters whom Trump is trying and make a federal holiday of
ground he narrowly won in the tone was not overtly po- ramped up his 2012 reelec- to reach who haven’t already Juneteenth, the commemo-
2016, to announce another litical. “The master marketer tion campaign, he used the made up their minds. ration of the emancipation of
$13 billion in pandemic aid is marketing himself through backdrop of the battleground “The cake is pretty baked at enslaved people in the U.S.
to assist farmers. That came federal resources," said Rep. state of New Hampshire to this point," Bennett said. Last week, after being asked
after Trump announced the Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, one press Republicans to get be- about whether he’ll en-
release of $13 billion in as- of several lawmakers to raise hind an extension of a tem- Trump in recent weeks has dorse Republican Sen. Su-
sistance to repair years-old concerns about the presi- porary payroll tax cut that taken the election-year court- san Collins of Maine, Trump
hurricane damage in Puerto dent's letter to the USDA. was set to expire. ing of key constituencies to a launched into a long aside
Rico and pledged to restore She added: “It is no different Republican George W. Bush new level as he uses rallies about his efforts to help the
its economy. than when he did the stimu- traveled to Iowa weeks be- and official White House state’s lobster industry. He
lus checks earlier this year... fore the 2004 election to sign events for showy pronounce- visited Maine in June to
He didn’t mention his past To me, it's nothing but poli- legislation that lowered taxes ments, sometimes at odds spotlight his administration's
harsh comments about the ticking, and I think it's ille- for millions of middle-class with the facts. One frequent efforts to get the European
island and its leaders as he gal." Americans. But even as Bush boast is that his signing of a Union to lower tariffs on
looks to curry favor with highlighted the legislation China trade deal earlier this Maine lobsters.
Puerto Rican voters else- White House officials said in a state that he would nar- year is straightening out de- “What I’ve done for Maine
where in the U.S., particu- the criticism is unmerited, rowly win, he also thanked cades of imbalance between is what nobody has done,”
larly in crucial Florida. saying the president is only Democratic lawmakers for the two nations. In fact, Trump said.
“I’m the best thing that ever trying to distribute informa- their support of the bill. Commerce Department data
happened to Puerto Rico,” tion to help Americans dur- shows that U.S. exports to