Trump Promises $5,000 ‘Dividend’ If Republicans Win Midterms
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said all adult U.S. citizens would receive a $5,000 payout but only if Republicans win the House and Senate in November, as he addressed the GOP’s convention in Dallas and urged his supporters to vote as if he was on the ballot.
Trump said would issue a “dividend” of $5,000 to “every adult citizen in the United States of America” if the GOP won both the House and the Senate.
He said this payout was because “we’ve done so well and our country is making so much money,” while noting that only he can make this promise to the voters.
Trump compared the payouts to how successful companies handles a “cash distribution to its shareholders.”
The president didn’t provide any details about how he would go about the plan, simply noting “if the Republicans win, you win with us.”
Trump said the only condition on this purported payout to adult citizens would be that this dividend payment must be spend in the U.S., but didn’t clarify how this would be enforced.
The president added that this payout will be called the “Trump Dividend.”
What Else Did Trump Say About The Dividends?
While speaking about the payouts, Trump acknowledged that the Republicans “might not win.” The president then attacked the Democrats and said they can’t do such a payout because “they don’t do tariffs, they don’t take in money, all they know is poverty and how to ruin our country.”
How Much Would Such A Dividend Payment Cost?
The president did not specify any other details about the proposed dividend. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s data, nearly 260 million adults live in the U.S. This number, includes both citizens and non-citizen residents, but an NBC News estimate pegged the total spending on this promised payout to be at around $1.35 trillion.
Trump’s speech lasted nearly two hours as he placed himself at the center of the Republican Party’s pitch for the midterms. Despite his poor approval ratings , the president said: “I am asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot.” Trump said he believes about 35 seats across both the House and the Senate could determine the winner of the midterms. “The ones that are very close, they might be winning by a little or losing by a little or tied…I am going to go to every one of those states.” The speech also defended the ongoing war in Iran as he claimed that the country was “two, maybe three weeks away from having a nuclear weapon.” The president, however, added that “we will win” the war.