Donald Trump says every adult American would get a $5,000 payout if Republicans win both chambers of Congress in November’s midterm elections. The plan would cost more than a trillion dollars.
The president made the offer in a speech at the party’s first-ever convention held in the middle of a US presidential term. He gave no details on how the plan would work or where the money would come from, saying only that the money would have to be spent in the US.
The Dallas Speech
Trump spoke at the Republican convention in Dallas, Texas, where his pledge to increase Americans’ spending power drew raucous applause.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them,” Trump said, “I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.”
Trump’s Spending Rules
The president added that Americans should not go to Canada, China or Germany to spend the money. He said the money had to be spent in the United States of America.
It is not clear how that spending would be monitored.
The Cost
There are nearly 270 million American adults. A $5,000 payout would cost the US government some $1.3 trillion.
Congress authorises spending, and the president did not say whether he planned to ask for such approval for the payments, which he dubbed “Trump Dividends”.
A Familiar Promise
This is not the first time Trump has promised such payouts. He has previously proposed $2,000 cheques to be funded by tariff revenues.
Other US politicians have also promised economic rewards in return for electoral success:
- Democrats in Georgia promised $2,000 relief payments if their party took control of the Senate
- The offer came at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic
Legal Questions
Federal laws prohibit payments intended to influence voting. Some experts say Trump’s promise may be seen as a pledge to cut taxes, which is legal.
An election law expert who spoke to the New York Times said Trump’s promise would also be covered by free-speech protection under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Democrats quickly labelled the offer an “empty promise”.
The War Context
Questions about whether the plan is possible have started to be asked, especially as prices rise in the US. That is partially a result of the consequences of the war that the US and Israel started with Iran in February.
Iran’s retaliation has included attacks against US bases and allies in the Gulf. Crucially, it has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, where about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas used to transit.
The blockage has caused fluctuation in oil prices worldwide. Trump has faced pressure from his party to end the war.
What Trump Said About the War
On Wednesday, the US president warned his supporters that the war would not end until after the midterms and that oil prices would not come down until then.
He repeated that at the convention, arguing that short-term economic pain was worth it to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Running Order
| Event | Location | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Trump’s Wednesday warning | Not specified | Before the convention |
| Republican convention speech | Dallas, Texas | Midterm campaign |
| Midterm elections | Nationwide | November |
Reaction
Trump’s long speech touched at the core of the conflict — the impact on Americans’ standard of living.
The details remain thin.
Source: bbc.co.uk
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.