From the Guardian · Guardian staff · · 1m 20s
Trump's $5,000 vote
A trillion-dollar cash promise, tied to one election result, and nobody can say who pays for it.
In brief
A trillion-dollar cash promise, tied to one election result, and nobody can say who pays for it. A $5,000 cheque for every adult would cost about $1.2tn, and Trump has offered it as a reward for a Republican win rather than as a costed policy. Originally reported by the Guardian.
The pledge, repeated
Trump said again on Sunday that every US adult gets a $5,000 dividend if Republicans hold Congress in November. He made the promise from a golf course in Ireland.
“$5,000 to all adults in the country and we can easily handle that because we're taking in so much money”
The maths is brutal
Roughly 240 million adult citizens times $5,000 is about $1.2tn. Washington spent around $7tn in fiscal 2025 and borrowed $2tn of it.
Debt just crossed $40tn
The national debt passed $40tn for the first time in August. Budget analyst Marc Goldwein said the payout would blow out the deficit and push inflation up with it.
“The result would be a huge spike in the deficit, and almost certainly in the inflation rate.”
Bribery, say critics
Gavin Newsom called it buying votes with taxpayer money. Hakeem Jeffries told ABC it is not a serious proposal.
“Donald Trump now wants to buy your vote with $5,000 in taxpayer-funded blood money”
Republicans split on it
Senator Bernie Moreno says he will have a bill ready the moment the election is done. House speaker Mike Johnson was far more cautious on CNN.
“Of course, the devil's in the details. We have to figure all that out.”
Congress still decides
No president can post cheques by pledge alone. Any payment needs a vote on Capitol Hill, which is exactly what Trump was dodging when reporters asked.
“I made that pledge, I always keep my pledge.”
The short version
A $5,000 cheque for every adult would cost about $1.2tn, and Trump has offered it as a reward for a Republican win rather than as a costed policy.
