President Donald Trump declared Wednesday night that he will offer every adult American citizen a $5,000 payment if the Republican Party wins both houses of Congress in the November midterm elections. The controversial proposal, estimated to cost more than a trillion dollars, was announced at the party’s first-ever convention held during a presidential midterm.
Trump didn’t detail how the program would work or where the money would come from, but emphasized that the funds would have to be spent inside the U.S. only. Democrats quickly labeled the promise an “empty promise,” and others questioned its legality, since federal laws prohibit payments designed to influence voting.
The proposal comes against the backdrop of rising prices in America, partly as a result of the war Israel and the U.S. launched against Iran in February. Tehran’s response included attacks on U.S. bases and allies in the Gulf, but crucially, it largely closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed.
The strait’s closure caused oil price volatility worldwide, and Trump faced pressure from his party to end the war. Wednesday night, the president warned his supporters that the war won’t end before the midterm elections, and that oil prices won’t drop until then.
He repeated his remarks at the convention in Dallas, Texas, arguing that short-term economic pain is worth the effort to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Trump’s lengthy speech touched the heart of the conflict—the impact on Americans’ standard of living, and his promise to increase their purchasing power drew thunderous applause.
“If Republicans win the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, both of them,” Trump said, “I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the U.S. of $5,000.” He added: “We don’t want you going to Canada to spend the money, we don’t want you going to China, to Germany. You must spend the money in the U.S.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has promised such payments; in the past he proposed $2,000 checks funded by tariff revenues. Other American politicians have also previously promised economic rewards in exchange for electoral success, like Georgia Democrats who pledged $2,000 relief payments.
In the U.S., Congress approves spending, and in his Dallas speech, the president didn’t say whether he intends to seek such approval for the payments, which he called “Trump dividends.” However, election law experts noted that Trump’s promise could be considered a pledge to cut taxes, which is legal, as well as part of the free speech protections guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.