Trump, hoping to salvage midterms, makes pledge to give every US adult $5,000 if GOP wins

President Donald Trump announced at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas that every American adult would receive a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate in the November midterms. He compared the idea to a corporation paying dividends to its shareholders.

The proposal would likely cost more than $1 trillion and could not be implemented by the president alone; Congress would have to authorize the spending. Vice President JD Vance later appeared to narrow the proposal, suggesting wealthy Americans might not qualify and that tariff revenue could help fund the payments. Current tariff revenue, however, would fall far short of covering the projected cost.

The announcement comes as the federal debt has surpassed $40 trillion and the annual budget deficit is roughly $1.8 trillion. Marc Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget argued that describing the payment as a “dividend” is misleading because the federal government is operating at a substantial deficit rather than generating a surplus.

Trump has floated similar ideas before, including a proposed $2,000 dividend, but this is the first time he has explicitly tied such a payment to Republicans winning congressional elections. Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio said he would prepare legislation to authorize the payments after the November 3 election. Legal experts quoted by AP said the campaign promise itself is not illegal because the proposed payment would apply regardless of whether an individual voted or whom they supported.

The proposal is also clearly part of Trump's effort to energize Republican voters in a difficult midterm environment, with control of both chambers potentially at stake.

AP reporter: Jonathan J. Cooper, with contributions from Lisa Mascaro and River Zhang.