Trump Says He’ll Give Every US Adult $5,000 if Republicans Win Midterms

Total Cost Estimated at $1.35 Trillion

Last Year’s Tariff Dividend Pledge Also Failed

President Donald Trump said he would give every adult American citizen $5,000 if Republicans win the November midterm elections, though critics say the proposal is unlikely to be carried out because it lacks a clear legal basis.

Trump made the pledge in a keynote address on Sept. 9 at the opening of the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. “If Republicans win both the House and the Senate, based on our tremendous economic success, I will pay a $5,000 dividend to every adult American citizen,” Trump said. He likened it to a successful company paying cash dividends to shareholders.

He said the money would have to be spent in the US. “I don’t want you going to Canada, China or Germany and spending this money there,” Trump said. “The only condition is that it must be spent in the United States.” He did not provide details on how the plan would be funded or what legislative process would be required. Reuters estimated the plan would cost $1.35 trillion, based on about 270 million US adults.

It is not the first time Trump has floated a cash-payment pledge. Last year, he promised a “$2,000 tariff dividend” for each person funded by tariff revenue, but that proposal fell through. The New York Times said Trump’s latest plan could create legal problems because federal law prohibits government spending intended to influence voting.

The surprise announcement came as Republicans struggle in the run-up to the midterms. The party took the unusual step of holding a national convention before the election, but the event has failed to draw enough interest to fill the venue. Axios projected Democrats would win, forecasting Republicans would secure 205 to 214 seats.

Kim Dong-hyun, Hankyung.com reporter 3code@hankyung.com