US President Donald Trump has promised to pay a $5,000 federal “dividend” to every adult American if Republicans maintain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate after November’s midterm elections.
Trump made the pledge on Wednesday during the Republican Party’s first midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, where he presented the proposal as part of his campaign message ahead of the elections.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them,” Trump said, he would issue the payment “to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.”
Reuters reported that Trump described the proposed payment as a dividend but did not provide details on how the programme would be financed or implemented.
ABC News also reported that Trump told attendees at the convention he would provide a $5,000 “dividend” to every adult American if Republicans retained both chambers of Congress.
The network quoted him as saying the proposal was possible “because of our tremendous strength and success economically.”
Trump added that recipients would be required to spend the money within the United States.
“The only caveat I have is that the dividend that we’re making must be spent in the United States of America,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
The proposed programme would require a substantial federal expenditure. Reuters estimated that providing $5,000 to approximately 270 million American adults could cost about $1.35 trillion, while noting that questions remained over the legality and practical implementation of the plan.
The Associated Press similarly reported that the payments could cost more than $1 trillion, with uncertainties surrounding how the programme would be financed and administered. It also reported that Vice President JD Vance appeared to suggest that higher-income Americans could potentially be excluded from receiving the payment.
Trump’s announcement comes as Republicans campaign to retain their congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections. Every seat in the House of Representatives and roughly one-third of Senate seats will be contested.
Although Trump is not personally on the ballot, he sought to make himself a central figure in the Republican campaign, urging supporters to approach the election as though he were a candidate.
ABC News quoted him telling the crowd: “So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot.”
