Donald Trump has promised a $5,000 payment to every adult American if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections, but the proposal would require congressional approval and could cost more than $1 trillion.
Speaking at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, the president described the proposed payment as a “Trump Dividend” and compared it with a company distributing cash to its shareholders.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Mr Trump said.
He added that the money would have to be spent in the United States. The proposal was made as Republicans seek to defend narrow majorities in Congress, with the party facing a difficult political environment ahead of the November 3 election.
Trump’s $5,000 dividend would need Congress
The president cannot simply order the Treasury to issue such a payment. Marc Goldwein, senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, told the Associated Press that congressional approval would be needed.
A payment of $5,000 to roughly 245 million adult US citizens would amount to more than $1 trillion, adding to America’s annual deficit and national debt. The national debt passed $40 trillion last month, according to the AP.
Vice-President JD Vance appeared to qualify the proposal shortly after Mr Trump’s speech, suggesting that the payment might not be intended for wealthy Americans and could be funded by tariff revenue. However, the amount proposed would be far greater than the revenue generated by tariffs to date.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio said he would prepare legislation to establish the dividend after the election. “I will get a bill ready so that we can get the Trump Dividend passed immediately after the November 3rd election,” he wrote on X.
The plan also prompted questions over the distinction between a campaign promise and an attempt to buy votes. Federal law prohibits offering money or other expenditure to influence someone to vote for or against a candidate. But New Mexico attorney John Day told the AP that a payment made to every adult, regardless of whether they voted or which party they supported, could be lawful.
“This is a campaign promise,” Mr Day said. “It’s not a payment to individuals to try to get them to vote in a particular way.”
The White House did not immediately provide details of how the scheme would be financed or administered. Mr Trump has previously floated the idea of distributing money to Americans, including a $2,000 payment, but has not secured approval for the broader proposal.
