Donald Trump has promised a $5,000 “dividend” for every adult US citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
The president made the pledge during a speech at the Republican National Committee’s first midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, presenting the payment as a reward for voters who keep the Republican Party in power.
“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 offered no details about how the proposal would be financed or administered, and did not say whether he would seek approval from Congress. The cost of sending $5,000 to every adult American would probably exceed $1 trillion, according to an Associated Press analysis.
Mr Trump referred to the proposed payments as “Trump Dividends”. He has previously floated the idea of issuing $2,000 payments funded by tariffs, but no such scheme has been authorised.
There is a precedent for direct payments to households. Congress approved several rounds of emergency stimulus checks during 2020 and 2021 under the administrations of Mr Trump and Joe Biden, as policymakers attempted to support an economy badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, economists have argued that the pandemic-era stimulus contributed, at least in part, to the inflation that followed. Any new programme would also require decisions on eligibility, funding and whether the payments were intended as a one-off measure or part of a wider economic policy.
During his speech, Mr Trump compared the proposal with the Trump Accounts child investment programme approved by Congress and “warrior dividend” bonuses paid to US service members last year through a military housing supplement authorised by lawmakers.
