Trump promises US$5,000 payment to U.S. citizens if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate
- President Donald Trump proposed a $5,000 "Trump dividend" payment to each US adult if Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate in the November midterm elections.
- The announcement was made at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas as a strategy to rally voter support amid concerns about Republican losses.
- Political analysts currently favor Democrats to win the House, while the Senate control remains uncertain.
- Details about the payment’s funding, distribution, and enforcement were not provided, with the estimated total cost exceeding $1 trillion amid existing fiscal challenges.
President Donald Trump floated a dividend for American voters if his party wins the upcoming November midterm elections, promising a US$5,000 payment to each US citizen adult if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate.
“It will be called the Trump dividend,” the president said at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas. “Now all we have to do is win.”
The gambit comes as warning signs flash for Republicans ahead of the midterms, which typically see the opposing party gain seats in Congress. Nonpartisan political analysts give Democrats the edge in the race for the House, with Senate control a toss up.
Trump didn’t describe how the payments would be issued, or funded. Any cash payments would need to be approved by Congress at a time when the significant US deficit is already weighing on borrowing costs. The money, he said, would need to be spent in the US, though he didn’t detail how that would be enforced.
The overall measure, as described by the president, would cost well in excess of $1 trillion.