Donald Trump has promised a $5,000 payment to every adult US citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in November, making the pledge the defining moment of the first day of the party’s midterm convention in Dallas.
Speaking at the Republican National Committee gathering on Wednesday, the president said the proposed payment would be funded by the country’s economic success and would be known as the “Trump dividend”.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them … I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Mr Trump told supporters at the American Airlines Center.
The announcement drew immediate scrutiny, with questions raised over how the scheme would be financed and whether Congress would approve it. Estimates reported by the Associated Press suggest the proposal could cost more than $1 trillion.
The payment would not be automatic if Republicans won the midterm elections. Legislation and funding approved by Congress would be required before any money could be distributed.
Mr Trump used his address to urge Republican voters to support candidates in November, presenting control of the House and Senate as a vote of confidence in his administration.
The Dallas convention, the Republican Party’s first dedicated midterm gathering, is intended to showcase the president’s record and rally activists ahead of the elections. But the cash pledge quickly overshadowed the wider programme after the opening day.
