Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would issue a USD 5,000 dividend to every adult in the United States if the ruling Republicans maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections, the media reported.
His Democratic critics, however, wonder where would he find the $1.30 trillion to pay this election-time ‘bribe’ to the voters.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them … because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for USD 5,000,” he announced at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas.
“The only caveat I have is that the dividend that we’re making must be spent in the United States of America,” he said, adding that he does not want recipients to use the money in countries such as Canada, China or Germany.
Trump made the announcement on the opening night of the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention in Dallas. He also pledged to campaign actively for Republican candidates ahead of the elections in early November, despite a recent decline in his approval ratings which in some cases were reported less than 30 per cent.
No details
Trump, however, gave no details on how the government would fund the USD 5,000 payment or how it would be distributed. The proposed dividend could involve an estimated 270 million adult recipients, making it a potentially huge financial commitment.
He had previously proposed USD 2,000 tariff rebate cheques for most Americans. At the time, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had said, “We need legislation for that.”
Trump’s latest announcement comes as his administration faces growing pressure over his declining popularity, the prolonged Iran conflict and the impact of high living costs and oil prices on American households.
The announcement also comes just a month after US national debt crossed the whopping USD 40 trillion mark for the first time. Federal spending is heavily influenced by defence costs, social programmes such as Social Security and Medicare, and interest payments on the growing debt.
The US debt had reached USD 39 trillion in March, just five months before crossing the USD 40 trillion mark. It had crossed USD 38 trillion in October 2025, showing how quickly the country’s debt has continued to rise.
His earlier payouts
The proposed payment is the latest in a series of financial measures announced by Trump during his second term, beginning January 2025. In July, he launched ‘Trump Accounts’. Under the scheme, every American child born between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2028 will receive an initial USD 1,000 deposit from the government. Parents can initially add up to another USD 5,000 a year to the accounts.
He had also announced a USD 1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ in 2025. The one-time, tax-free payment was given to 1.45 million US military service members.