United States President Donald Trump has pledged to give every adult American $5,000 if Republicans maintain control of both chambers of Congress in the November 2026 midterm elections.
Trump made the promise on Wednesday during an address at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, as he rallied support for Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 polls.
The proposed payment, which Trump described as a “dividend,” could cost the US government about $1.3tn if distributed to approximately 260 million adults, based on the adult population recorded in the 2020 US Census.
“If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000,” Trump told a cheering crowd during a nearly two-hour speech. He also urged voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot”, despite his unpopularity prompting several vulnerable Republican politicians to stay away from the event.
Surrounded by supporters waving American flag placards, Trump claimed without providing evidence that his second term had been “the most successful two years, financially and every other way, in the history of the presidency”. However, much of his speech focused on warning voters about the consequences of Democrats winning control of either the House of Representatives or the Senate during the final two years of his presidency.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the US government issued stimulus payments to eligible Americans, including $1,200 checks under the first round of economic relief in 2020. Trump’s signature appeared on the checks distributed during that period.
Last year, Trump also proposed a $2,000 “tariff dividend” for Americans, with the payments tied to revenue generated from his administration’s tariffs. The proposal was not implemented.
Speaking in Dallas, Trump also predicted that oil prices would fall sharply after the midterm elections.
He further said the war with Iran, which had entered its seventh month, would end “immediately after the election”.
On April 2, 2026, oil prices rose by more than 5 per cent after Trump said the United States would continue its military offensive against Iran for another two to three weeks.
