President Donald Trump has doubled down on his claim that all adult American citizens will receive payments of $5,000, described as "Trump Dividends," if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate following the 2026 midterm elections.
As previously reported by the Citizen Times, Trump initially made the offer during his speech at the GOP's first-ever midterm convention. The claim was described as a "brazen offer of financial support to voters with less than two months until midterm elections" by USA TODAY, and some critics have noted that Trump's latest claim could actually be illegal.
Over the weekend of Oct. 3, Trump updated his claim in a video posted to Truth Social. In the post accompanying the video, Trump wrote, "If Republicans
win the House of Representatives and the Senate in the 2026 Midterm Elections, I’m going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America, $5,000! Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to signing those checks!"
In the past, Trump has made promises of "stimulus checks," dividends and rebate payments that were never issued. Here's what we know about his newest claim so far.
What did Trump say about $5,000 payments?
"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 during the GOP's first-ever midterm convention.
On Oct. 3, Trump updated his claim in a video posted to Truth Social, renewing his promise that Americans would receive the $5,000 payments if Republicans retained control of both the House and Senate after the 2026 midterm elections.
As reported by USA TODAY, 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. Additionally, some critics are denouncing his statements as illegal due to a federal statute that makes it illegal to offer or make any expenditure to any person to vote or withhold a vote.
The president has called the proposal a "Trump Dividend" and has framed such payments as a way to share the benefits of what he describes as the country's economic success.
Who would qualify for $5,000 'Trump Dividend' checks?
Trump has said the proposed payment would go to "every adult citizen in the United States of America" if Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate after the midterm elections.
Has the $5,000 Trump dividend check been approved?
Congress has not approved Trump's proposal, and no enacted legislation authorizes a $5,000 payment to Americans.
When would the $5,000 checks go out?
No payment date has been announced as of Oct. 5, though Trump has specifically claimed that checks would be issued if Republicans won the House and Senate following the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Did tariff dividend checks ever happen? DOGE rebate checks?
As previously reported by the Citizen Times, it isn't the first Time Trump has promised dividend checks. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Dec. 21, 2025, that the president would "bring forth a proposal to Congress" about dividend checks in 2026.
Another suggestion made by the president was that money saved by the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, formerly headed by Elon Musk, be used to issue tax refunds to Americans.
"We're considering giving 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% to paying down the debt," Trump said in February 2025.
However, like other stimulus checks, the dividends would require an act of Congress, and the idea faced criticism from House leadership. DOGE shut down earlier this year, and neither of the two suggested payments has been issued as of October 2026.
Maria Francis, USA TODAY NETWORK, contributed to this report.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Trump doubles down on $5,000 checks if Republicans win midterms
