Donald Trump announced that he will send a payment of $5,000 to every adult American if the Republican Party retains control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections on November 3rd.
The announcement was made during a convention of his party in Dallas, Texas. "If the Republicans win, you win with us and receive $5,000," Trump stated. "It will be called the 'Trump Dividend'."
The proposal would cost $1.35 trillion to cover the approximately 270 million adults in the country. This figure exceeds the revenue generated from tariffs, which would be the funding source that Trump vaguely mentioned he would use. Additionally, using that money would exacerbate an annual budget deficit that already hovers around $1.8 trillion.
Trump did not explain where the money would come from or how its use would be controlled. Experts warn that the payment would require Congressional approval, something the president did not mention in his speech.
After the announcement, Vice President JD Vance tried to clarify Trump's proposal. He indicated that the payments would not go to the wealthiest Americans and that they could be funded by tariff revenues. However, the amount exceeds what was collected through that avenue even before the Supreme Court struck down much of the tariff program last year.
The Republican senator Bernie Moreno from Ohio immediately supported the initiative on social media platform X: "I will have a bill ready so that we can pass the Trump Dividend right after the elections on November 3rd. Because the Republicans (and the United States) will win."
Marc Goldwein, senior policy director of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, warned that Trump lacks the authority to distribute money without Congressional approval. "The idea that we have been successful in fiscal matters is incorrect and borders on the ridiculous," he stated. "We do not have surpluses to distribute."
There are promises that Trump still has not fulfilled
After returning to office for his second term, the president promised that the Department of Government Efficiency, then led by Elon Musk, would transfer its savings to the citizens in the form of checks that never arrived.
In November 2025, he announced dividends of "at least $2,000" funded by tariffs, a proposal that also did not come to fruition.
Trump's approval rating fell to 33% according to surveys this week. This is his lowest level during the second term. The decline is partly driven by the majority's disapproval of the war in Iran. According to AP-NORC, only 28% of American adults approve of the way the Trump administration has handled the military conflict.
Currently, the Republicans hold narrow majorities in both chambers. The Senate, which previously seemed secure for the party, is now in contention.
A $5,000 check would represent more money than each American received in direct pandemic relief payments during Trump's first term, giving a sense of the magnitude of the proposal and the challenges it would face in being realized.
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