Jonathan V. Last
Role at the time: Bulwark editor, posting on his personal Substack profile
Mixed or conditional
Statement summary
Last half-seriously proposed that Democrats pass Trump’s payment bill, then campaign against the inflation and fiscal irresponsibility he expected it to cause.
“I’m half serious. Dems take the House and then send Trump his $5,000 bribe bill to sign”
Read the original text (opens in a new tab)Jonathan V. Last’s public note on passing Trump’s dividend bill · Jonathan V. LastOriginal Substack note c-334105020, September 10, 2026, 1:19 p.m. EDT
Last’s complete public note explains his qualified, tactical proposal alongside a link to his subscriber-only essay. The note—not an inference from the essay’s headline—is the evidence for this position.
Why we used this label
Combines a negative bribery characterization with tactical, qualified support for passage—not an endorsement of its economic merits.