On Sept. 9 and 10, Republicans held the party’s first national midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, bringing together party leaders and candidates to rally support and promote the party’s agenda ahead of the 2026 elections. During the first day of the convention, President Donald Trump made a big promise to voters.
“Because we’ve done so well and because our country is making so much money, only I can make this promise to you,” Trump said. “And here is my promise. If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic, tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.”
He called it the Trump Dividend. With approximately 245 million American adults, the checks come to a total cost of $1.2 trillion. In order for such a large payment to be given to the American people, Congress must approve of this proposed dividend. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the federal budget is at a $1.96 trillion deficit for the fiscal year of 2026. This deficit has raised some concerns for how these payments would affect the budget.
However, in an interview with NBC News, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that the Trump administration would fund the payments without using taxpayer money.
“Together we’re going to deliver that plan and we’re going to pay that money to the Americans and not from taxpayer money,” Lutnick said.
Despite Lutnick’s and Trump’s statements, the Trump Dividend has received criticism over the money’s purpose. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for the funds to instead reimburse Americans for higher fuel costs associated with the Iran conflict.
“If Trump and congressional Republicans want to put money back in people’s pockets, they know where to start: pay Americans back the more than $108 billion Trump-Iran war surcharge that families, farmers and small businesses have already been stuck with,” Newsom said.
On the other hand, some politicians, including Bernie Moreno, a U.S. Senator representing Ohio, have also voiced their support for the proposal.
“I will get a bill ready so that we can get the Trump Dividend passed immediately after the November 3rd election because Republicans (and America) will win!” Moreno said.
On the second day of the convention, Trump led attendees in a pledge that they would “cheat like hell.”
“I pledge, to the greatest president in the history of the United States, that loves us so much he can’t even breathe … that I will go out with my family, my friends … I’ll do it anyway,” Trump said while continuing to encourage voter turnout throughout the speech. “I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try and cheat like hell, like they do.”
The proposal will continue to develop until early November, when the midterm elections take place. Although politicians like Moreno have backed the dividend, the proposal faces questions about how it would be funded and whether it could gain enough support in Congress. If Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate, Congress would then have to vote on legislation authorizing the payments before the Trump Dividend could be distributed to Americans.