Ted Lieu
Role at the time: U.S. representative commenting on his personal and campaign X account
Condemned
Responding to
Trump’s $5,000 election pledge: policy dividend or vote-buying?
"everyone will get a $10,000 dividend, and a pony, and free ice cream for life."
Why we used this label
The exaggerated list and the follow-up yogurt alternative make this a satirical criticism, not a serious Democratic counterproposal or an enacted benefit.
Ted Lieu satirically outbids Trump's dividend promise (opens in a new tab)Original post 2097890541929464211, opening paragraph
Lieu's post mockingly proposes extravagant benefits if Democrats win Congress, followed by a yogurt alternative. Reuters separately identifies this post as mockery of Trump's proposal. It is not a serious Democratic payment proposal. Original post timestamp is September 10 UTC, September 9 in the eastern United States.