President Donald Trump has pledged to pay every adult citizen in the United States $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, a promise that would cost more than $1tn and has immediately triggered accusations of bribery.
The proposal was made during a lengthy speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, where the president also assailed Democrats as «radical» and defended his unpopular war in Iran. The scale of the offer laid bare the extent of Republican concern about their prospects in the pivotal November elections, as the president remains deeply unpopular among the wider electorate.
Trump offered few details of how the payment would work, but said the money would have to be spent in America. The lack of a clear mechanism has done little to quiet criticism from opponents, who argue that promising direct cash payments to voters in exchange for electoral support crosses a serious ethical line. The proposal would cost over $1tn, a figure that dwarfs most federal spending programmes and would require approval from a Congress that has repeatedly clashed over budget priorities.
The president also asked voters to «pretend that I'm on the ballot» despite not facing re-election himself this cycle, a remark that underscores how closely he intends to tie his political movement to Republican candidates in November. His appearance at the convention in Dallas drew a hero's welcome from attendees, though the event was marked by glaring absences among some party figures.
In his remarks, Trump claimed that Democrats were bringing communism to America, a familiar line of attack that he has used to rally his base. He spent much of the marathon speech revisiting grievances and promoting his own record, but the $5,000 pledge quickly became the dominant headline of the evening.
The promise has been described as an extraordinary intervention in the midterm campaign, and it raises immediate questions about its legality and feasibility. Similar direct-payment proposals have historically faced steep hurdles in Congress, where fiscal conservatives have often opposed large-scale cash transfers. There is no indication that Republican leaders in the House or Senate were consulted before the president made the pledge public.
Critics have labelled the offer a bribe, arguing that it effectively conditions a financial benefit on a specific electoral outcome. Supporters, meanwhile, have framed it as a dividend that would return money to ordinary Americans. The president's team has not released further details on eligibility, timing, or how the programme would be funded.
The midterm elections will determine control of both chambers of Congress, and the president's popularity — or lack of it — is expected to be a central factor in races across the country. By tying a cash payment to a Republican victory, Trump has injected an unprecedented element into the final stretch of the campaign.
The proposal also comes amid broader economic pressures, with household budgets under strain and debates over taxation and government spending already dominating the political agenda. Whether the pledge will persuade undecided voters or energise opposition turnout remains an open question, but it has already reshaped the terms of the national conversation ahead of November.