Trump again pledges $5,000 to every adult if GOP wins
The campaign promise would cost close to $1 trillion and depends on a law that does not exist today. The midterm elections are on November 3.
President Donald Trump repeated on Saturday, October 3, in a 2:06 video posted on his X account, that he will give $5,000 to every adult U.S. citizen if his party keeps the Senate and the House of Representatives in the midterm elections. "I'm going to give" $5,000 to "all adult citizens," he says. The message ends with "I hope to sign those checks."
According to Trump, Republicans can pay for it thanks to tariffs and "record economic success," while Democrats would raise taxes and cause a depression "like 1929." He puts the cost of the so-called "Trump Dividend" at "approximately $1 trillion." None of the sources consulted backs up with figures that tariffs would be enough to cover it.
It is not a new announcement. Trump made it on September 9 at the Republican convention in Dallas, according to The Dallas Morning News, which noted there was no law, funding mechanism or payment date. Analysts' estimates run from $1.2 trillion to $1.35 trillion, because the United States has between 240 million and 270 million adult citizens.
Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, estimates it would add about $1.2 trillion to the debt, according to Factchequeado. Telemundo notes that the federal deficit is already around $1.8 trillion.
No law, and doubts within the party
For Mike Johnson, the Republican who is Speaker of the House, Congress would have to act to deliver it, according to Fortune. Trump had said earlier that he did not think that approval was necessary. Republican strategist Doug Heye called it "a dumb idea."
Whether it is legal is also disputed. Factchequeado cites Section 597 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code, which bars paying someone to vote for a candidate, and therefore considers it illegal. A lawyer consulted by Telemundo argues the opposite, because the benefit would go to everyone and would not depend on a vote. No court has ruled on it.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno proposed preparing a bill to pass it after the elections, according to Telemundo, and most of the party's candidates in contested districts are avoiding the subject, according to Fortune. Americans vote on November 3.
