Trump says giving 'baby bonus' payments to mothers 'sounds like a good idea'
The "baby bonus" idea isn't the first time Trump has pushed to increase childbirth rates.
An idea to give mothers a "baby bonus" payment got support from President Donald Trump as his administration attempts to increase declining birth rates in the United States.
When asked on April 22 if he would consider giving American mothers "some kind of bonus" when they have a child, the president told reporters it "sounds like a good idea to me," before quickly jumping to another question.
When questioned about the proposal, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News that Trump is "proudly implementing policies to uplift American families."
"The president wants America to be a country where all children can safely grow up and achieve the American dream. As a mother myself, I am proud to work for a president who is taking significant action to leave a better country for the next generation," Leavitt said, per the outlet.
Paste BN contacted the White House on Thursday but has not received a response.
Trump pledged to be the 'fertilization president'
Previously, Trump has been a proponent of raising childbirth rates, with him even signing an executive order in February aimed at increasing access and affordability for in vitro fertilization, also known as IVF.
"Today, many hopeful couples dream of starting a family, but as many as one in seven are unable to conceive a child," reads a White House statement posted in February. "My Administration recognizes the importance of family formation, and as a Nation, our public policy must make it easier for loving and longing mothers and fathers to have children."
While campaigning in 2024, Trump coined himself the "Father of IVF." In March, he said he would soon be known as the "fertilization president," ABC News and the New York Times reported.
U.S. birth rates have been on a steady decline since 2007. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation, the low numbers can be attributed to people living with their parents longer, fears of job loss from a pregnancy and youth not being well-educated or gainfully employed.
JD Vance: 'I want more babies in the USA'
Like Trump, Vice President JD Vance has been a staunch supporter of increasing fertility rates.
During the 2024 campaign, he said the child tax credit should be expanded. He encouraged the idea of seeing it increase to $5,000 per child, but he did note that specifics would need to be worked out with Congress to determine the idea's viability, according to ABC News.
"I want more happy children in our country, and I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them. And it is the task of our government to make it easier for young moms and dads to afford to have kids, to bring them into the world and to welcome them as the blessings that we know they are," Vance said at the March for Life in late January.
Also, during his speech at the anti-abortion rally, Vance said, "I want more babies in the USA."
Contributing: Krystal Nurse/ Paste BN