President Donald Trump this week tried to sway midterm voters with promises of financial rewards, but he remains deeply unpopular among Americans, recent polling shows.
In remarks at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9, Trump pledged to give $5,000 "dividends" to all U.S. adults if the GOP holds control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, USA TODAY reported.
"Because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," he said.
Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, have called the proposed dividends "blatantly illegal" and unlikely to pass Congress.
Also this week, Trump said in a video statement posted by the White House
that $500 checks would be mailed in October to 1 million people in 30 states— including Michigan — that used Healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace where people sign up for Obamacare health insurance.
It's not the first time Trump has promised financial rewards for Americans.
In 2025, he offered $1,776 "warrior dividends" to military members, which Trump said would be paid for through tariffs, but were funded through military housing funds in the Big Beautiful Bill.
Trump had promised $5,000 DOGE refund checks in 2025, but those did not materialize. Trump also promised $2,000 tariff refund checks in late 2025.
Despite repeated offers of financial gain, Americans gave Trump poor ratings across several recent polls, reaching as high as a 61% disapproval rating in a Sept. 4-8 Economist/YouGov poll. In Michigan, a Sept. 9 Civiqs poll reported a 58% disapproval rating for Trump.
Real Clear Politics, which aggregates data from numerous polls, shows Trump's current average approval rating is 17.5 percentage points below his average disapproval rating — a similar trend from early September.
Here's what to know about Trump's approval ratings.
Is Trump offering Americans $5,000 or $500 health care refunds?
Trump announced a proposal to issue $5,000 dividends — to be spent only in the U.S., to every American adult if Republicans maintain control of Congress in November's midterm elections, in remarks at the GOP's first-ever midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9, USA TODAY reported.
"Because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000," Trump said in the convention remarks.
It's not fully clear how the dividends would be paid for or how much they would cost, though the president did credit funds from the tariffs he has levied on imports for making it possible.
Trump on Thursday announced his administration would refund $500 million that he said people allegedly were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance.
Trump said in a video statement posted by the White House that $500 checks would be mailed in October to 1 million people in 30 states that used Healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace where people sign up for Obamacare health insurance.
The states include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
How did the Rasmussen Reports poll rank Trump?
Rasmussen Reports:
- 58% disapprove of Trump, while 41% approve
- The poll results are from Sept. 10, 2026
The Rasmussen Reports survey did not break down party affiliation of respondents or Trump's approval ratings on policy issues.
How did the Economist/YouGov poll rank Trump?
Economist/YouGov:
- 61% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 37% approve
- The survey of 1,469 U.S. registered voters was conducted Sept. 4-8, 2026 and has a margin of error of ±3.4 percentage points.
How did the Morning Consult poll rank Trump?
Morning Consult:
- 54% disapprove of Trump, while 43% approve
- The survey of 2,200 registered U.S. voters was conducted the week ending on June 22, 2026, and has a margin of error of ±2 percentage points.
How did the Civiqs poll rank Trump?
Civiqs:
- Nationwide, 59% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 35% approve
- In Michigan, 58% disapprove of Trump's job performance, while 36% approve
- The online survey was compiled Sept. 9, 2026
USA TODAY contributed.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Trump offers dividends, refunds to voters. Do polls show uptick?
