US President Donald Trump has promised a $5,000 (Rs 4,75,000) "dividend" to every adult American citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in November's midterm elections.
"Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," Trump told supporters at the Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday.
.@POTUS announces the TRUMP DIVIDEND: If Republicans win both the House and the Senate, because of our tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States for $5,000 pic.twitter.com/s4orJJGx9d
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— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 10, 2026
Trump attached one condition to the payout, which he dubbed the "Trump Dividend."
"The only caveat I have is that the dividend that we're making must be spent in the United States of America," he said, adding that he did not want recipients "going to Canada" or "China to Germany" to spend the money.
"If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000. We'll call it the Trump Dividend. Congratulations," he told the crowd.
The White House did not immediately clarify how the payout, estimated to cost between $1.25 trillion and $1.35 trillion given the roughly 250 million adult US citizens, would be financed.
Trump does not have the unilateral authority to disburse such funds, as federal spending requires congressional approval. Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio said afterwards that he would introduce legislation to enact the proposal "immediately after the November 3rd election."
Critics were quick to characterise the pledge as an attempt to influence voters. Sam Stein, managing editor at The Bulwark, described it on X as Trump "openly bribing people to vote for Republicans."
This is not the first such promise from Trump. He previously floated a $2,000 "tariff dividend" funded by tariff revenue, an idea Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last year had not been formalised into a proposal for the Senate.
The announcement came as Trump also reiterated during the same address that the war with Iran would end "immediately" after the midterm elections, and floated renaming several US landmarks, including the Strait of Hormuz.
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