Stimulus Checks: Everything Donald Trump Has Said Concerning a Second Payment

'America First'

Taking it all the way back to March, the president stressed the importance of bipartisan cooperation on the stimulus packages during the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report by MarketWatch, he signed the CARES Act at a ceremony attended by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle saying: "I want to thank Democrats and Republicans for coming together and putting America first. I never signed anything with a T on it."

This emphasis on bipartisanship is important to understand in the push for another stimulus check, since Republicans and Democrats are more divided on the issue than they were the first time around. Here, the president is less adherent to party lines.

'No Rush'

Jumping ahead to early May, the president said he saw "no rush" to pass another stimulus package, according to a report by Forbes. He was speaking about the historic unemployment numbers for the month of April, and the protections given to the unemployed and to employers by the CARES Act.

Explore America

A few weeks later, Trump met with leaders in the restaurant industry for a roundtable at the White House. There, he spoke favorably about the so-called Explore America Tax Credit, which would give travellers a $4,000 tax credit for vacations taken within the U.S. This could be used to draw business into hotels, restaurants, theme parks and other tourism-related businesses.

"Long term, the deduction would be phenomenal, Trump said. "Create an 'Explore America' — that's 'Explore,' right? Explore America tax credit that Americans can use for domestic travel, including visits to restaurants. That's a big deal. Grant restaurants more flexibility under the PPP. That's what we're talking about — right? And protect workers and businesses alike with curbs on frivolous litigation — frivolous litigation, a thing I know something about."

'One More'

To Trump, tax credits like the one mentioned above and stimulus checks are apparently not mutually exclusive, as he brought up another stimulus check just a few days later while speaking to essential workers at a Ford factory. "I think we will [pass another stimulus package]," he said, according to a report by Reuters. "I think we're going to be helping people out... There could be one more nice shot."

Checks AND Payroll Tax Cuts

In the first week of June, Trump gave a speech at the Rose Garden where he praised his administration's response to the coronavirus so far, and promised big things to come. As he appeared to off-script, the president hinted that both another stimulus check and a payroll tax cut could both be on the way.

"We'll be asking for additional stimulus money," he said, "because once we get this going, it'll be far bigger and far better than we've ever seen in this country — that includes as of three or four months ago when everyone thought it was great and it was great."

"We will be going for a payroll tax cut," he added shortly after, "which will be incredible in terms of what we are doing because we are going to be bigger and better than we ever were."

Dramatic

That takes us to this week, when Trump assured reporters from Nexstar Broadcasting that another stimulus check was coming, despite the disagreement among lawmakers. "I think we're working on something that's going to be very dramatic, very good," he said. "The economy is really starting to roar."

Generous

VIDEO: President Trump commits to 2nd stimulus. He says details would be announced in the coming weeks. The President would not tell me how much of a check Americans will receive. pic.twitter.com/Abd5E8P3Au

— Joe St. George (@JoeStGeorge) June 22, 2020

Finally, Trump seemed to reiterate that sentiment on Monday in an interview with Washington correspondent Joe St. George. Trump told him: "We will be doing another stimulus package. It will be very good. It will be very generous."

Still, each time the president makes one of these authoritative statements, members of his administration work to qualify them with more tempered language. The president does not write laws, so the extent to which he is "working on" another stimulus package with the House or the Senate is limited at best. He also will not be able to pass any of these packages until the House and the Senate agree on one.

'Larger' payments

After weeks of review and evaluation, Trump is advocating for a "larger" stimulus check than the one previously discussed, attached to the CARES Act earlier this year. In an interview with Fox News last week, the president claims he wants the long-awaited second round of stimulus payments to be larger than the CARES Act's $1,200 payment.

"I support actually larger numbers than the Democrats, but it's got to be done properly," Trump said. "I want the money getting to people to be larger so they can spend it. I want the money to get there quickly and in a non-complicated fashion." He also said that the next stimulus package should create a "great incentive to work," which was in reference to the extra $600 in unemployment benefits that came bundled in the CARES Act.