US President Donald Trump has promised a potential $5,000 payout to every adult American citizen if Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
Speaking at the Republican Party’s first midterm election convention in Dallas on Wednesday, September 9, Trump said the proposed payment would be funded by the country’s economic strength and success under his administration.
‘If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000’
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them… because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said.
He added one condition: the money would have to be spent within the United States. “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 travelling to Canada, China or Germany to spend the money.
“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000. It will be called the Trump dividend,” Trump said.
However, Trump provided few details about the proposal, including who would qualify, how the payments would be distributed or how spending would be monitored.
It is estimated that there are around 245 million adult American citizens worldwide, putting the potential cost of such a programme at roughly $1.22 trillion. The figure could be lower if the proposal applies only to citizens living in the US, as Trump appeared to suggest. That could exclude roughly 2 million Americans living abroad who retain US citizenship.
No further details about the proposed dividend were immediately available, leaving questions over its funding, eligibility requirements and implementation.
