Trump’s growing list of campaign pledges: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to From the Politics Desk, a daily newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, we dive into the increasing number of promises President Donald Trump is making to persuade voters to back Republicans in the November elections. Plus, Andrea Mitchell examines the fallout from Russia’s releasing an American from prison.

— Adam Wollner

Trump keeps promising ‘goodies’ if Republicans win the midterms

By Megan Shannon, Sarah Dean and Sahil Kapur

President Donald Trump is pledging to deliver “goodies” as he campaigns across the country — but only if voters keep Republicans in charge of Congress in the midterm elections.

Rallying Monday in Kansas, Trump promised a favorable policy move by his administration if Republican Sen. Roger Marshall is re-elected.

“With Roger Marshall in the Senate, we will make year-round E15 permanent,” Trump said, referring to the sale of fuel blended with 15% ethanol, which is often restricted in the summer for environmental reasons. “But if Adam Hamilton is in, I’m not doing it. That’s it. I’m only doing it for him.”

Yesterday in North Carolina, Trump vowed to instruct his Justice Department to settle claims by veterans regarding contaminated water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

“If we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible and get it off the books and get it finished,” Trump said. “If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it, and it’s going to be finally over with that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years.”

And Saturday in Kentucky, Trump declared that the Defense Department will invest $100 million in the pharmaceutical company Anthea’s manufacturing facility based in the state.

“But you have to win, Andy. Otherwise, forget it,” he said, referring to GOP Senate candidate Andy Barr.

In some cases, delivering on his campaign trail promises would require Trump to have allies in Congress to pass them. But in other cases, Trump wields executive authority to make good regardless of the outcomes.

At nearly every one of his rallies, Trump touts his promise to send every American adult a $5,000 payment if Republicans hold the House and the Senate. But GOP leaders have made no such promise, and some key players on Capitol Hill doubt it would happen, saying they haven’t even seen a plan from Trump for where the funds would come from.

A recent NBC News Decision Desk Poll found that just 14% of U.S. adults expect to receive such payments in that scenario, while 71% don’t expect it. Even self-identified Republicans said by 47% to 28% that they don’t expect to see $5,000 payments.

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Witkoff’s praise for Putin draws bipartisan backlash

Analysis by Andrea Mitchell

The diplomatic gifts Russian President Vladimir Putin has received from the Trump administration over the last 10 days have been considerable, undermining Ukraine and rattling U.S. allies throughout Europe — perhaps none more than special envoy Steve Witkoff’s declaration today that Putin is a “humanitarian.”

In St. Petersburg with Putin, Witkoff was expressing gratitude for Russia’s release of an American prisoner, Stephen Hubbard, whom Russia captured in Ukraine a few months after the start of the war. He was convicted by a court in Russia — which has long been accused of holding show trials — of serving as a mercenary, charges he denied.

Described by several former U.S. officials to NBC News as a “low level” prisoner who had not been working for the U.S. government, Hubbard, 74, a retired teacher, was not viewed by Moscow as able to garner a significant trade. Putin produced Hubbard at the perfect moment to build on his considerable advantage with President Donald Trump and generate favorable publicity. He could hardly have wished for anything better than to be described as a humanitarian by Witkoff, the top American negotiator.

Asked about Witkoff’s praise for Putin, Trump said: “I guess you could say for that particular purpose, for the purpose of allowing a man who was thinking he was going to be in prison for life out. But, you know, I wouldn’t say anything one way or the other.” He later credited Hubbard’s release to his waiving Russian sanctions he had just signed into law, as well as his personal request to Putin in their last telephone call.

Vice President JD Vance said the country should “celebrate” that an American hostage was coming home, not be “complaining about what Steve Witkoff said in order to get it done.” But outside the White House, Witkoff’s labeling of Putin drew bipartisan backlash.

Among Democrats, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner, D-Va., called it “insulting,” adding that the prime mover of the sanctions bill, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., was “rolling over in his grave.” House Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Jim Himes, D-Conn., said, “Donald Trump is on Putin’s side, and that’s why Witkoff says the kinds of things that he says.”

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is a tough re-election campaign in Maine, said: “I would describe Putin as a warmonger. He’s certainly not a humanitarian. He is the aggressor in the war against Ukraine.” Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., was more graphic, writing on X: “WTF Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian.’ What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say. You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a ‘humanitarian.’”

Witkoff and his fellow negotiator, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, also reported that Putin has agreed to restart trilateral talks with the U.S. and Ukraine that have not been held since February. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they should be held no later than November. There’s no word on whether Putin will accept the “energy ceasefire” Trump announced unilaterally a week and a half ago, which Zelenskyy adhered to for several days while Russia’s missiles pounded Kyiv and Kharkiv.

All this comes after Trump’s diesel deal with Russia gave Putin desperately needed revenue without lowering diesel prices in the U.S., according to energy experts. Plus, there has been a week of conflicting explanations for a sudden interruption in U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine and a slowdown in Ukraine’s vital connection to the military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink.

After days of devastating Russian attacks on civilians in Kyiv and Kharkiv, Kristen Welker asked Zelenskyy on “Meet the Press” last weekend whether Ukraine can win the war without the U.S. He answered: “If United States will support Putin, I mean, it’s unbelievable. It’s tragedy. It’s historic mistake and big tragedy.” If that happened, Zelenskyy added, “of course we will not prevail.”

That’s all From the Politics Desk for now. Today’s newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner.

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