President Donald Trump told the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday that he would send $5,000 to every adult American citizen if his party keeps control of both chambers of Congress in November.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000, very much like a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders,” Trump said in his keynote address.
He added that the money would have to be spent inside the United States, but did not say how that condition would be enforced.
The pledge came on the opening night of the first midterm convention the Republican Party has held, an event Trump organized to raise turnout in a year when the party holding the White House has historically lost ground in Congress.
Census Bureau figures put the number of adult citizens at roughly 240 million, which would place the cost of the promise at about $1.2 trillion.
The federal budget deficit was already close to $1.8 trillion in fiscal year 2025. Unless the payments were matched by new revenue or spending reductions, they would widen that gap, and direct transfers on that scale carry the risk of adding to inflation.
Trump attributed the funding to what he described as the economic success of his policies.
Vice President JD Vance has since suggested narrowing eligibility to exclude wealthier Americans and has pointed to tariff receipts as a source. Tariffs brought in roughly $154.5 billion over the first ten months of fiscal 2026, through July, well short of the sum the promise would require.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, Republican of Ohio, endorsed the plan and said he would prepare legislation to enact it after the election.
Not every Republican was persuaded. Rep. Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, told Politico: “I would like to know how they would plan to pay for … back of envelope … well over $1 trillion.”
The Democratic National Committee issued a statement dismissing the pledge, pointing to earlier Trump proposals for direct payments funded by government efficiency savings and by tariff revenue, neither of which was delivered.
No bill has been introduced, and any payment would require congressional approval.
The promise is conditioned on an election outcome that current polling leaves unsettled, with control of both chambers in contention.
Click here to read the full story on TIME
