Trump’s giveaway season: Green cards for grads and tax-free tips
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Trump throws hats to supporters at a 2022 rally. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Former President Trump is raising eyebrows with a series of unexpected policy proposals aimed at winning over targeted voter groups, with little downside.
Why it matters: These ideas are stark departures from the major themes of his campaign and the policies he pursued in office. But they just might help him win over some new voters.
Driving the news: This week, Trump said on the All-In Podcast that foreign students who graduate from American colleges — even junior colleges — should automatically get green cards.
- That's a changeup from his campaign drumbeat of anti-immigrant rhetoric and from the hardline positions of his top policy adviser, Stephen Miller.
- While the students themselves may not be eligible to vote in November, employers in sectors like tech and members of some immigrant communities have lobbied for a clearer path to work for high-skilled grads.
- His campaign partially walked back the comments, saying graduates would be "thoroughly vetted" to weed out "communists" and "America haters" and ensure U.S. workers aren't hurt.
That was Trump's second policy bombshell of the month, after he called for the elimination of taxes on tips.
- Trump made that promise in Nevada, a swing state where hospitality constitutes a big slice of the workforce.
- Trump is betting that bartenders and hotel workers will care more about a possible tax cut than other workers — who don't get paid in tips — might worry about picking up the eventual tab, which could run up to $250 billion over 10 years, Axios' Hans Nichols notes.
- The call was quickly answered by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who introduced legislation this week.
Zoom out: Trump has made other recent promises and platform changes that appear targeted at specific sectors of the electorate or of the donor class.
- Flashback: While in office, Trump said he was "not a fan" of cryptocurrencies, and former Treasury Sec. Mnuchin quoted Trump as saying Bitcoin was "based on thin air."
- Now, he's a crypto booster, vowing to make the U.S. a leader in the industry, in sharp contrast to the Biden administration's tough stance.
- This week, he landed $2 million in Bitcoin donations from the Winklevoss twins, co-founders of a crypto exchange.
Flashback: Trump also proposed a TikTok ban while in office.
- He came out against a ban in March — a youth-friendly move that may also have been influenced by his relationship with mega-donor Jeff Yass, who has a huge financial stake in TikTok's parent company.
Trump's promises are tailored to his audiences.
- While addressing a Libertarian convention, for example, he promised to put a Libertarian in the Cabinet.
The big picture: Trump may be betting a few targeted policy proposals can expedite the inroads he's already making with demographics like young people and Hispanic voters.
- It's unclear how he'd actually implement policies like eliminating taxes on tips or granting green cards to graduates, or who might be harmed in terms of higher taxes or lower job security.
The bottom line: Trump won't have to sort out those details before November. He's betting he'll pick up some votes in the meantime.
