Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader and a candidate for speaker, has launched a five‑figure advertising campaign aimed at an NFL‑focused audience after President Donald Trump announced a $5,000 “dividend” for every American adult if Republicans hold both chambers of Congress. The ad buy was announced by the New York Democrat’s team and is scheduled to appear across digital platforms.
The campaign coincides with the Los Angeles Rams’ game against the San Francisco 49ers in Australia on Netflix, the second game of the opening NFL week, and the second night of Trump’s midterm Republican convention in Dallas, Texas. The first night of the convention ran alongside a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, with Trump claiming the convention outperformed the NFL in viewership.
Jeffries’ advertisement criticises the president’s claims of a “golden age,” highlighting rising grocery prices, gas, and health‑insurance premiums. He emphasizes that “no one is entitled to your vote” and that the party will work to earn it. Polls show Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot by seven points, and with 218 Republican seats versus 214 Democrat seats, a Democratic win would almost guarantee Jeffries a speakership.
Trump’s promise of a $5,000 check hinges on Republican control of Congress, a move that would require congressional approval. The president has previously distributed $1,200 checks during the early Covid‑19 pandemic, a tactic that boosted his approval ratings. Critics, including former congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux, argue that the dividend would add to the nation’s $40 trillion debt and a $2 trillion annual deficit, calling it a profit‑oriented “dividend” rather than a fiscal solution.
