President Donald Trump is reiterating his promise of giving every adult U.S. citizen a $5,000 dividend if Republicans retain control of Congress in November.
“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,” Trump said in a Truth Social video post on Saturday, Oct. 3. "Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to signing those checks!"
Trump first promised to pay every adult American the $5,000 dividend if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate at the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) first midterm convention in Dallas last month.
"If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000.
It will be called the Trump dividend," the president said, adding the caveat that the money must be spent in the United States. "Now, all we have to do is win."
Here's what to know about the $5,000 payments and who Trump says will be getting them.
When will Trump give out $5,000?
Trump said all adult citizens in the U.S. will receive the $5,000 Trump dividend if Republicans win the midterms and keep control of the House and Senate.
The 2026 midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and are key to determining partisan control of Congress. All 435 House seats and 33 Senate seats are up for election in the midterms, USA TODAY previously reported. Early voting has already begun in California, with other states to follow suit this week. Three states — Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire — however, do not have early voting, per the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
When reporters asked Trump outside Air Force One on Sunday, Sept. 13, why he wouldn’t send the dividends now, while the GOP controls Congress, he said he would wait until after the upcoming midterm elections.
“I don’t want to do it now, because if the Democrats get it, our country will be in shambles and they won’t be able to do it,” he said. “If we get in, we’re taking in tremendous amounts of money.”
Who will receive the $5,000 Trump dividends?
Trump said all adult U.S. citizens will receive the $5,000 dividend, which must be spent in the U.S., if Republicans predominantly win the midterm elections. The president did not specify if political affiliation will impact who receives the funds.
“The $5,000 is going to happen 100 percent,” Trump said on Sept. 13. “And the reason is because our country is taking in trillions and trillions of dollars. And it’s going to happen.”
Where will the money for the $5,000 checks come from?
In Trump's recent Truth Social video, he did not detail where the money would come from or who would authorize the payments.
Earlier, at the RNC, Trump said the dividend is possible because of the "tremendous strength and success" of the American economy. However, even then he did not say how it would be paid for or how much it would cost.
In a White House news release the following day, the Trump administration suggested that the dividend is possible thanks to "unleashed trillions in new private investment" and reductions in government waste.
Sending $5,000 to the nation’s 270 million adults would cost roughly $1.3 trillion, USA TODAY previously estimated, with economists warning that a deluge of $5,000 checks could trigger unintended consequences for American consumers, including higher prices and steeper interest rates.
$5,000 payment would need congressional approval
A massive payout to the public would require Congressional approval, with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling host Kristen Welker on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Republicans would "try" to implement the $5,000 dividend checks.
"Like every idea that the president comes up with, he's a great idea generator," Johnson told Welker. "We're going to process that in Congress and figure it all out."
The Louisiana lawmaker added, "We're going to try to implement everything we can."
However, not every party member supports the idea. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Arizona, told Reuters he would “throw everything of my heart and soul” into stopping the proposal. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, called the plan a “political bribe” in a Sept. 10 interview with CNN, and said Congress controls federal spending.
Trump administration payouts
Trump has rolled out and promised several payouts since he assumed office for his second term.
Last week, the government began sending $500 checks to nearly 1 million Americans across 30 states his administration says were overcharged by fees through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance. The checks include a letter signed by Trump alerting recipients to the money.
Over the weekend, the president said he plans to send a $90 check to more than 20 million seniors this month. The one-time payments are headed to seniors across all 50 states enrolled in Medicare B, according to a White House payment breakdown reviewed by USA TODAY, with the most populated states receiving the most checks.
Previously, in December 2025, all military personnel got $1,776 "Warrior Dividend" bonuses. Although Trump had said the payments would come from tariff revenue, the funds came from military housing funds Congress appropriated in Trump's sprawling "One Big Beautiful Bill" law.
In July of this year, "Trump Accounts" went live, depositing $1,000 into savings accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028. As of July 6, Trump said 6 million children had Trump Accounts, which are meant to serve as investment starters for America's young — essentially an IRA for kids.
But two other dividends pitched to the public failed to materialize:
- Tariff dividend checks: In 2025, Trump discussed a plan to give $2,000 dividend checks to some Americans using tariff revenue. But while Trump at one point said the checks would go out in mid-2026, payments haven't happened. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said legislation would likely be needed. Another hurdle? Tariff revenue has fallen short of the estimated $600 billion needed for tariff dividend checks, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said at the time.
- DOGE stimulus checks: In early 2025, Trump floated the idea of $5,000 dividend checks for Americans thanks to savings created by the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. But those dividends never arrived, and DOGE officially shut down this year.
Contributing: Ken Alltucker, Zac Anderson, Aysha Bagchi, Christopher Cann, Daniel de Visé, Joey Garrison, Julia Gomez Bart Jansen, Melina Khan, Jeanine Santucci, Mike Snider / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he 'looks forward to signing' $5,000 checks
