US President Donald Trump has renewed his pledge to give every adult American citizen $5,000 if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
“If Republicans win the House and Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, I’m going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America $5,000,” Trump said in a video posted on X on Saturday.
Trump said the proposed payments would be financed by tariff revenues and what he described as the strong performance of the US economy under Republican leadership.
The president claimed his administration’s economic policies had attracted about $21 trillion in investment into the United States over the past 15 months.
Trump first announced the proposed $5,000 “dividend” at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9.
The plan would cost roughly $1.2 trillion if approved by Congress, according to estimates cited by Reuters. Some Republican lawmakers have expressed reservations, warning that such a large injection of cash could fuel inflation and worsen the federal government’s fiscal position.
Trump has argued that tariff revenues could help finance the payments, although previous proposals to distribute dividends funded by tariffs or government savings have not materialised.
Estimates cited by PBS put the number of adult US citizens at roughly 245 million, meaning a $5,000 payment to each would carry a price tag of about $1.2 trillion.
Trump has said the payments would go to “all adult citizens” in the United States, raising questions over whether Americans living overseas would qualify and whether income limits or other eligibility requirements might eventually be imposed.
The proposal comes as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, which Trump has increasingly portrayed as a referendum on his presidency.
