Okay, America.
I woke up this morning and apparently democracy has introduced a rewards program.
President Trump stood up in Dallas last night and said that if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate, adult American citizens could get a $5,000 Trump dividend.
Five grand!
Holy shit.
We’ve gone from:
“Ask not what your country can do for you…”
to:
“Actually, hang on. We’ve got Venmo.”
Now, before everybody starts picking out a new refrigerator, there’s a little fine print.
There isn’t actually a $5,000 check sitting in Washington with your name on it.
The proposal doesn’t have a detailed implementation plan yet, and Congress would have to approve the spending. Estimates put the total cost north of $1 trillion.
So this isn’t a check.
Right now, it’s an idea for a check.
And apparently there’s one condition: Trump said the money would have to be spent in America.
Which raises some fascinating questions.
Can I buy a Toyota?
What if it’s built in Kentucky?
Can I buy an iPhone?
Designed in California. Parts from everywhere. Assembled somewhere else.
Does somebody at the Treasury Department have to inspect my Costco receipt?
“Sir, I’m afraid this television contains 37 percent foreign components. We’re going to need $842 back.”
And here’s where this gets interesting to me.
Because I’ve spent the last few weeks walking around Greensboro talking to nearly 100 strangers.
I’m asking people what worries them.
Why they’ve stopped believing they can change anything.
What would make them get involved.
And what ordinary Americans could accomplish together.
And then I turn on the television and the message from Washington is:
Here’s five grand.
And I think we’re missing something much bigger.
Because whether you love Donald Trump, hate Donald Trump, vote Republican, vote Democratic, or would rather chew aluminum foil than talk about politics…
Citizenship isn’t a transaction.
We shouldn’t need somebody to pay us to give a damn about our country.
And I’m not saying people couldn’t use $5,000.
Are you kidding me?
People are struggling with groceries, housing, insurance, gasoline, medical bills.
Five thousand dollars is real money.
If somebody handed me five grand, I’m not going to throw it dramatically back across the Resolute Desk.
“NO, MR. PRESIDENT! I DEMAND CIVIC VIRTUE!”
Bullshit.
I’d deposit it.
I’m patriotic, not stupid.
But there’s a bigger question here.
What kind of country do we want?
Because maybe we’ve gotten politics completely backward.
Every couple of years politicians come to us and say:
“Here’s what I’m going to give you.”
Tax cuts.
Stimulus checks.
Credits.
Benefits.
Programs.
Dividends.
And the other side says:
“No, no, no. Here’s what WE’RE going to give you.”
Meanwhile we’re sitting in the bleachers watching the game.
And that’s exactly what I’ve been talking about with the Truth Party.
Spectators versus citizens.
A spectator says:
“What’s in it for me?”
A citizen says:
“What can we build together?”
And after talking to all these people, I’m becoming convinced that America has something much more valuable than another government check.
We have each other.
That’s why I’ve got this completely insane new idea.
Instead of another political convention…
Let’s have a National Block Party.
One day.
Across America.
Every neighborhood.
Every street.
Get somebody to volunteer as block captain.
Pull out the grills.
Bring the folding chairs.
Put on some music.
Bring your kids.
Bring your grandparents.
Bring the weird guy from three houses down who you’ve been avoiding since 2019.
Especially him.
And for one day, nobody gives a shit who you voted for.
No red team.
No blue team.
No MAGA.
No woke.
No fucking Facebook arguments.
You’re just neighbors.
And at some designated moment across the country…
We have a National Hug.
Yeah, I know.
It sounds ridiculous.
Good.
Maybe America needs a little ridiculous.
Because I’ve been hugging strangers lately.
I’ve been talking to people I never would’ve met otherwise.
And I’ve discovered something pretty extraordinary:
We don’t hate each other nearly as much as we’re told we do.
Most people want basically the same damn things.
A decent life.
A safe neighborhood.
A future for their kids.
Some financial breathing room.
A government that works.
And the feeling that somebody actually gives a shit about them.
So maybe the answer isn’t five thousand dollars.
Maybe it isn’t Donald Trump.
Maybe it isn’t the Democrats.
Maybe it isn’t the Republicans.
Maybe the answer is us.
Two hundred and something years ago, America began with an experiment:
Could ordinary people govern themselves?
We’re still running that experiment.
And it doesn’t work if we’re spectators.
It only works if we’re citizens.
So if somebody eventually sends you five grand?
Great.
Cash the check.
Buy something American.
Hell, buy 5,000 hamburgers and invite the neighborhood.
But don’t wait for Washington to fix America.
Walk outside.
Meet somebody.
Listen to somebody.
Give somebody a hug.
Then let’s roll up our sleeves and get to fucking work.
Because America doesn’t need another family feud.
America needs a national block party!
And I’m ready to throw the party.
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