Trump pitches $5,000 checks, but only if GOP wins House and Senate
President Trump vowed Wednesday to send a $5,000 "dividend" to every American citizen after the midterms, but only if Republicans hold onto control of Congress. He didn't offer details on how the payments would work.
Updated on: September 10, 2026 / 12:25 AM EDT / CBS News
The announcement came almost an hour into Mr. Trump's speech to the Republican National Committee's first-of-its-kind midterm convention in Dallas, as he seeks to rally Republican voters and fight significant political headwinds in the November elections.
"If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000," he said.
The president did not offer details on how the payments — which he dubbed "Trump Dividends" — would work, including whether he plans to ask Congress to authorize the checks. He has floated the idea of cutting checks to U.S. citizens in the past, proposing $2,000 dividends funded by tariffs last year.
Mr. Trump argued the payments would be a consequence of the country's "tremendous economic success," and suggested they could be funded partially by his administration's tariffs on foreign goods.