Trump Renews $5,000 ‘Trump Dividend’ Pledge Tied to Republicans Holding Congress
President Donald Trump has again promised $5,000 for every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans hold the House and Senate in November, a pledge USA TODAY estimates could cost about $1.3 trillion and that would still need approval from Congress.
President Donald Trump has renewed his pledge to send $5,000 to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans retain control of both the House and the Senate in the November midterm elections, according to USA TODAY.
In a Truth Social video posted on Saturday, Trump tied the proposed payment directly to the election outcome and said he looked forward to signing the checks, USA TODAY reported. The president first made the $5,000 promise last month at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas, where he called the idea the “Trump dividend” and said the money would have to be spent in the United States, according to USA TODAY.
The renewed pledge did not spell out where the money would come from or which authority would approve the payments. USA TODAY reported that a White House news release issued the day after the Dallas speech pointed to private investment and reductions in government waste as the administration’s broader explanation for how such a dividend could be possible.
A price tag above $1 trillion, and no program yet
No $5,000 payment program has been enacted, and Congress has not authorized the checks. USA TODAY previously estimated that sending $5,000 to the nation’s 270 million adults would cost roughly $1.3 trillion, while the Associated Press has estimated the cost at more than $1 trillion depending on eligibility and other details that have not been announced.
A payout of that scale would require approval from Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Republicans would try to implement the proposal and would work through the idea in Congress, according to USA TODAY. Not all Republicans are on board: Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona told Reuters he would work to stop the proposal, and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland called the plan a “political bribe” in a Sept. 10 interview with CNN, USA TODAY reported.
Economists cited by USA TODAY have warned that sending checks on that scale could push prices and interest rates higher. For now, the proposal remains a campaign pledge with its central condition, funding source and legislative path unresolved, less than a month before voters decide control of Congress.
Reporting based on coverage by USA TODAY and News9.
