US President Donald Trump has said he would provide a $5,000 payment to every adult American if Republicans secure control of both the House of Representatives and Senate in November’s midterm elections.
Trump announced the proposal during a Republican convention in Dallas, Texas, describing the payments as “Trump Dividends.” He said recipients would be required to spend the money within the United States, though he did not explain how that condition would be enforced.
The president did not provide details on the programme’s funding, administration or whether he would seek congressional approval. Congress authorises federal spending in the United States, and the proposal would carry a substantial cost.
With nearly 270 million adults in the country, payments of $5,000 each would amount to about $1.3 trillion, according to the BBC’s calculation. Democrats dismissed the proposal as an “empty promise,” while others raised questions over its legality.
Legal and economic questions
Federal law prohibits payments intended to influence voting. However, the source reported that some experts believe Trump’s proposal could be viewed as a tax-cut pledge, which would be legal. An election-law expert cited by The New York Times also said the statement could be protected as political speech under the First Amendment.
Trump has previously proposed payments to Americans, including $2,000 cheques that he said could be financed by tariff revenue. Other politicians have also linked financial relief to electoral outcomes, including Democrats in Georgia who promised $2,000 relief payments if they won control of the Senate during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The promise comes as the president faces pressure over rising prices. The BBC reported that oil prices have fluctuated after Iran largely closed the Strait of Hormuz following the conflict that began in February involving the US, Israel and Iran. The waterway had carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas.
Trump said before and during the convention that the war would not end until after the midterms and that oil prices would not fall before then. In his address, he argued that temporary economic hardship was necessary to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Source: BBC News
