US President Donald Trump stated at the Republican National Convention in Dallas that every adult citizen of the country could receive $5000, provided the Republican Party retains control of the House of Representatives and the Senate following the 2026 mid-term elections. The initiative does not yet have an approved mechanism and may require a decision by Congress.
Briefly about the main points
- Trump has dubbed the proposed payment the «Trump Dividend».
- Under his terms, the money must be spent within the US.
- The estimated cost of the initiative amounts to $1.35 trillion.
- Vens cited tariffs as one of the possible sources of funding.
- Senator Bernie Moreno is prepared to table a bill after the election.
«Trump’s dividend» and the conditions for spending the money
The President described the proposed payment as «Trump’s dividend». He compared it to the dividends that successful companies distribute to their shareholders, and explained the idea by referring to the economic strength of the US and the country’s substantial revenues.
The only condition stated for the use of the funds is that they must be spent within the United States. Previously Donald Trump had already proposed channelling the money received from customs duties to citizens.
The scale of expenditure and funding issues
If around 270 million American adults receive the payment, its total cost will be approximately $1.35 trillion. This is an estimate, as the final eligibility criteria for the scheme have not yet been determined.
JD Vance Following the President’s speech, he suggested that wealthy Americans might be excluded from the list of beneficiaries. He cited customs revenue as one possible source of funding, but noted that the current level of such revenue is insufficient for a programme of this scale.
According to the US Treasury, customs duties in the 2025 financial year totalled $210.3 billion — approximately 6.4 times less than the programme’s estimated requirement. The final source of funding has not been determined.
The legal debate and the role of Congress
The direct link between the promise and the election results sparked a political debate about possible vote-buying. A solicitor John Day In a comment to the Associated Press, he said that such a proposal does not in itself constitute illegal bribery: the funds, as envisaged, are to be paid regardless of whether a person voted or who they voted for. Therefore, such statements currently constitute a political assessment rather than a legally established fact.
According to AP’s assessment, approval or some other form of consent may be required in order to pay out such an amount Congress. The constitutional rule on federal expenditure also requires legislative authorisations for the transfer of funds from the Treasury.
Republican Senator Bernie Moreno stated that he was ready to draft a bill on the Trump Dividend immediately after the 3 November election. Lawmakers will still have to determine the group of recipients, the procedure for transferring the funds and the source of the more than one trillion dollars.
