Trump promises $5,000 payout if Republicans retain Congress

US President Donald Trump has promised a $5,000 federal payment to every adult American if Republicans retain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the November midterm elections.

Trump made the pledge on Wednesday while addressing the Republican Party’s first midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, where he urged voters to keep the party in control of Congress.

Describing the proposed payment as a “dividend”, Trump said it would be issued if Republicans won both chambers of Congress.

“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them,” Trump said, he would issue the payment “to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.”

Trump said recipients would be required to spend the money within the United States.

“The only caveat I have is that the dividend that we’re making must be spent in the United States of America,” he said.

However, the president did not explain how the proposed payments would be financed, administered or authorised.

Based on an estimated 270 million American adults, Reuters reported that the proposal could cost the federal government about $1.35tn.

The Associated Press similarly estimated that the scheme could require more than $1tn, raising questions about its funding and implementation.

Vice President JD Vance appeared to suggest that the proposed dividend might not be available to everyone, indicating that wealthier Americans could potentially be excluded.

Trump nevertheless presented the proposal as a benefit made possible by what he described as the strength of the US economy.

According to ABC News, he said the payment would be possible “because of our tremendous strength and success economically.”

The announcement comes as Republicans seek to defend their congressional majorities in the November 3 midterm elections. Every seat in the House and about one-third of the Senate seats will be contested.

Although Trump is not on the ballot, he has positioned himself at the centre of the Republican campaign and urged voters to treat the election as though he were a candidate.

“So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot,” he told the convention.

Trump’s latest proposal bears similarities to an earlier suggestion for direct payments to Americans.

In 2025, a proposal popularly described as a “DOGE dividend” gained attention after Elon Musk suggested that taxpayers could receive $5,000 cheques from savings generated by the Department of Government Efficiency.

That proposal, however, did not result in a nationwide $5,000 payment.

Trump’s new pledge is likewise a political proposal rather than an existing federal payment programme. Details on the legal authority, funding source, eligibility requirements and mechanism for distributing the money have yet to be provided.

The promise comes as Republicans face a challenging midterm campaign, with concerns over Trump’s approval ratings and voter dissatisfaction with economic conditions and other issues potentially affecting the party’s prospects.