Schrödinger’s dividend
By 
This is an amusing compilation of all the times Trump has promised to send people checks as recompense for his ruinous policies and then, consistent with his entire body of work, not sent the checks:
@thebulwark.com did a supercut of all the prior times Trump said he was going to give Americans a $5000 check or whatever. It is glorious
[image or embed]— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) September 11, 2026 at 12:32 PM
This con, unsophisticated even by Trump standards, reflects the extent to which kidding on the square is central to right-authoritarian discourse. Trump’s supporters can call themselves savvy for knowing that he’s just running a con, or they can believe that they’re getting the checks, and they might believe both of these things on the same day. That’s what it means to be part of a cult of personality. What might be true and what isn’t is just immaterial in the end.
You have to watch this during halftime if you haven't seen it. This is the most insane thing I've ever seen. Among other things, it says that Trump delivered his own grandchild.
[image or embed]— Aaron Schatz (@aaronschatz.com) September 10, 2026 at 6:47 PM