Trump promises USD 5,000 'Trump Dividend' if Republicans keep Congress

Phoenix,UPDATED: Sep 10, 2026 14:32 IST

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said every American adult would get USD 5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, making a striking new campaign promise as his party faces a difficult contest in November. Speaking at the GOP's midterm convention in Dallas, Trump said, "If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get USD 5,000. It will be called the Trump Dividend."

The proposal would likely cost more than USD 1 trillion, require congressional approval, and add to the country's annual budget deficit of nearly USD 1.8 trillion, while also raising concerns about inflation. Within an hour of Trump's remarks, Vice President JD Vance appeared to partly dial back the proposal by suggesting that the payments would not go to wealthy Americans.

Trump compared the proposed payment to a company's distribution to shareholders and said it reflected "our tremendous strength and success economically". But Congress would need to approve or otherwise acquiesce to any such payment, and the amount would far exceed US tariff revenues even before the Supreme Court struck down much of the president's tariff programme last year. The White House did not respond to a message seeking details.

The national debt crossed USD 40 trillion for the first time last month. Trump has often complained that the president's party usually loses seats in Congress during midterm elections and has looked for unconventional ways to try to break that pattern, including this week's convention. "We're going to change that," Trump said. "There's no reason for it."

Marc Goldwein, senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington think tank, said Trump does not have the authority to send money to Americans without Congress approving it. Goldwein said dividends are paid by companies when there is a surplus, while the US is running annual deficits of USD 2 trillion and has USD 40 trillion in debt. "The idea that we've had fiscal success is backwards and bordering on laughable," he said. "We don't have surpluses to give away."

The move was reminiscent of billionaire Elon Musk's effort to influence last year's Wisconsin state Supreme Court race, when he handed out million-dollar cheques to voters in support of a candidate who ultimately lost. Trump has raised the idea before, but had not previously linked it to his party's electoral prospects. Earlier this year, he proposed a USD 2,000 dividend and said he did not think he needed Congress's approval. Last year, he gave members of the military a USD 1,776 payment that he called a "warrior dividend".

Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio backed the idea in a post on X late on Wednesday, writing, "I will get a bill ready so that we can get the Trump Dividend passed immediately after the November 3rd election. Because Republicans (and America) will win!" A USD 5,000 payment would give each American more money than people received in direct government payments under COVID-19 relief measures during Trump's first term.

New Mexico-based attorney John Day said the proposal would be legal because the payment would go to everyone regardless of how they voted, or whether they voted at all. "This is a campaign promise," Day said. "It's not a payment to individuals to try to get them to vote in a particular way."

Republicans are on the defensive as they try to protect their narrow majority in the House amid strong political headwinds. Trump remains unpopular, and Americans overwhelmingly oppose the war in Iran. Even the Senate, where Republicans had once appeared to be in a strong position, is now in play. Against that backdrop, Trump's proposed "Trump Dividend" has emerged as his latest attempt to reshape the midterm contest, even as questions remain over its cost, legality and passage through Congress.

With PTI Inputs

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