Trump promises $5,000 checks if Republicans win midterm elections

President Donald Trump has repeated his promise to send $5,000 checks to every adult American if Republicans keep control of Congress in next month's midterm elections, drawing fierce criticism from Democrats who say he is trying to buy votes.

The president renewed the campaign pledge in a Truth Social video, following a similar announcement at a party convention in Dallas. The multi-billion-dollar offer comes as the administration actively pushes out smaller, immediate cash payments to millions of senior citizens and healthcare consumers ahead of the November vote.

What is the $5,000 Trump dividend?

Trump is pitching the one-time $5,000 payment as a reward for voters keeping a Republican majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. But opponents have quickly labelled the proposal a transactional gimmick.

Speaking on CBS News, Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona dismissed the proposed payments as a crude election tactic. "This is just a payoff, and he's trying to buy votes," Kelly said, arguing that the timing and conditions attached to the offer should make voters highly sceptical. He pointed to past administration moves to cut food benefits and Medicaid as evidence that the offer was purely transactional.

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland went further, calling the plan a "political bribe" and reminding voters that Congress, not the president, holds the constitutional power to authorise federal spending.

Opposition has also emerged from within Trump's own party. Republican Representative David Schweikert of Arizona vowed to fight the proposal, warning it could drive up the national deficit, worsen inflation, and push interest rates higher.

How much would the check programme cost?

Sending $5,000 to every adult American citizen would carry a price tag of roughly $1.2 trillion. Trump has not provided any details on how the payments would be funded or how they would pass through Congress.

In response to the criticism, White House spokesman Davis Ingle defended the president's record, saying Trump has "consistently proven his doubters wrong" and drawing a contrast with what he called "Democrats' record of historic inflation".

Polling suggests the public is unconvinced. An Economist/YouGov poll found that 61 percent of likely voters believe Trump probably or definitely will not deliver the money, even if his party wins. Furthermore, a Verasight survey showed that 33 percent of adults said the pledge actually made them less likely to vote Republican, compared to just 15 percent who said it made them more likely.

What cash payments are already being sent?

While the $5,000 check remains an unfulfilled campaign promise, the White House is using existing federal programmes to distribute smaller payments right now.

Last week, the administration began sending $500 "refund" checks to about 950,000 people who bought unsubsidised health insurance through the federal marketplace. A Reuters analysis found that 71 percent of that money—some $339 million—is heading to residents of 13 states with highly competitive Senate and gubernatorial races.

Additionally, some 20.8 million Medicare Part B beneficiaries are scheduled to receive one-time $90 payments this month, funded through the Medicare Improvement Fund.

Has Trump kept similar cash promises before?

Trump has a mixed record when it comes to promising direct cash to voters.

In February 2025, his administration floated a $5,000 "DOGE dividend" funded by government efficiency savings, which never materialised. Later that year, he proposed a tariff-funded rebate of at least $2,000, which collapsed after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs.

During his first term, Trump also promised 33 million seniors $200 prescription-drug cards weeks before the 2020 election, but those cards were never sent. However, his administration did successfully deliver a $1,776 "Warrior Dividend" to 1.5 million service members in December 2025.