Trump's demand that his name be put on relief checks could add to delays

Donald Trump’s demand that his name appear on coronavirus relief checks could delay the mailing of tens of millions of those payments, the Washington Post reported Tuesday night.

According to the Washington Post, the Treasury Department ordered the Internal Revenue Service to print “President Donald J. Trump” on the left side of the relief checks millions of Americans are set to receive. It’s the first time an IRS disbursement will bear the name of a president, the Washington Post reported.

The checks of up to $1,200 were part of the $2 trillion relief package Congress passed last month. The payments are intended to offset the financial losses millions of Americans have experienced after safety measures were put in place to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to the Post, administration officials said Trump had requested for his name to appear in the signature line. However, presidents are not authorized to sign disbursements from the Treasury. Instead, Trump’s signature will be in the memo line on the bottom left of the check under the words “Economic Impact Payment” — which describes what the money is for.

Only those who do not have direct deposit information on file with the IRS will receive the paper checks emblazoned with Trump’s name.

It’s possible that putting Trump’s name on the relief payments could boost his political standing, especially if people view it as a direct payment from Trump. Democrats, for their part, are attacking Trump for delaying the payments.

“Donald Trump is further delaying cash payments to millions of Americans struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table to feed his ego,” Sen. Ron Wyden (R-OR) tweeted. “Only this president would try to make a pandemic and economic catastrophe all about him.”

But Trump loves to put his name on things. Many of his real estate properties are emblazoned with a big, bold, capitalized TRUMP. Trump even put his name on a mailer to millions of Americans about the administration’s guidelines to slow the spread of the new virus.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.