US President Donald Trump has promised to pay every adult American $5,000 if Republicans win control of both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Trump made the pledge at a Republican convention in Dallas, Texas, proposing what he described as a dividend for American citizens.
The proposed payment could cost the federal government about $1.3 trillion, based on the nearly 270 million adults in the United States.
However, Trump gave no details on how the payments would be funded or distributed, saying only that recipients would be required to spend the money within the United States.
The proposal has already triggered questions over its cost, legality and whether it could be implemented.
Democrats have dismissed the pledge as an “empty promise”, while Vice-President JD Vance suggested that revenue from Trump’s tariff policies could be used to finance the payments.
Vance described the proposal as a dividend for American workers, arguing that the administration was generating substantial revenue from tariffs imposed on foreign goods and companies.
Trump has previously proposed a similar plan involving $2,000 payments to Americans funded through tariff revenue.
At the convention, Trump linked the proposal to his administration’s broader economic policies and concerns over household spending power.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said.
He added that the money should be spent domestically, saying he did not want Americans using the payments to purchase goods from countries including Canada, China and Germany.
It remains unclear how such a requirement would be enforced or monitored.
Trump has also defended his administration’s handling of the conflict with Iran, arguing that the economic costs are necessary to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
The conflict has disrupted global energy markets, with the Strait of Hormuz largely closed. The strategic waterway normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
The disruption has pushed oil prices higher and increased pressure on Trump to seek an end to the conflict.
Speaking before the Republican convention, Trump warned supporters that the war would continue until after the midterm elections and that oil prices would not fall before then.
Meanwhile, the White House has yet to provide details of the proposed $5,000 scheme, including whether congressional approval would be required or how the government would raise sufficient funds to finance the payments.
