Bob Good
Role at the time: Former Republican U.S. representative from Virginia, speaking on the Schilling Show radio program
Statement summary
Former Rep. Bob Good, a Virginia Republican, said on a radio program that Republicans would have called Trump's $5,000 pledge a socialist vote-buying scheme if Obama or Biden had proposed it. He said the party is supposed to stand for fiscal responsibility and the Constitution.
“We would have called that a Socialist vote-buying scheme if Obama or Biden were doing it We’re supposed to be the party of fiscal responsibility. We’re supposed to be the party of the Constitution. Conservatism doesn’t mean criticizing bad policy just when Democrats do it.”
Local report from Charlottesville, Virginia, published September 10, 2026, on reaction in Virginia's 5th District to Trump's pledge. It quotes former Rep. Bob Good's radio remarks and social media posts.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case asks whether Trump's $5,000 pledge, payable if Republicans keep control of Congress, is a policy dividend or vote-buying. Good said Republicans would have called the pledge a socialist vote-buying scheme if Obama or Biden had made it, and that conservatism does not mean criticizing bad policy only when Democrats propose it. That expressly criticizes the pledge, so we labeled it Condemned.