US President Donald Trump has promised to give every adult American a $5,000 federal “dividend” if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in the November midterm elections.
Trump made the pledge on Wednesday at the Republican Party’s first midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, where he urged voters to support Republican candidates and maintain the party’s control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them,” Trump said, he would issue $5,000 to every adult citizen in the United States.
The President described the proposed payment as a dividend but did not provide details on how the programme would be funded, administered or implemented.
Trump said the proposed payment would be tied to the strength of the US economy and insisted that recipients would be required to spend the money within the country.
“The only caveat I have is that the dividend that we’re making must be spent in the United States of America,” he said.
The proposal would require a massive federal expenditure. Estimates suggest that giving $5,000 to about 270 million American adults could cost approximately $1.35tn, raising questions about the source of funding and the legal framework for implementing the plan.
The Associated Press similarly reported that the proposal could cost more than $1tn, while Vice President JD Vance appeared to suggest that higher-income Americans might be excluded from receiving the payment.
Trump’s promise comes ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, in which all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and about one-third of the Senate seats will be contested.
Although Trump will not be on the ballot, he urged supporters to treat the election as though he were personally seeking re-election.
“So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot,” Trump told the gathering.
The latest proposal bears similarities to an earlier suggestion for direct payments to Americans. In 2025, Trump considered a proposal for a “DOGE dividend” that would have been funded by savings generated through the Department of Government Efficiency, following a proposal by Elon Musk for $5,000 taxpayer refunds.
That proposal, however, did not result in a nationwide $5,000 payment.
Trump’s latest pledge is therefore a political proposal rather than an existing federal payment scheme, and details of its funding and implementation remain unclear.
The announcement comes as Republicans seek to defend their congressional majorities amid concerns over voter dissatisfaction with the economy and other issues confronting the Trump administration.