Following Democrats’ takeover of both chambers of Congress on Election Night, President Donald Trump’s promise to give every American adult a $5,000 “dividend” now appears unlikely to come to fruition.
During a Sept. 9 speech at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Trump vowed to issue the payments “if the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate,” calling them “Trump Dividends.”
Trump said the $5,000 payouts would be possible because of the country’s “tremendous economic success” and likened them to cash distributions made by successful companies to their shareholders.
But nearly two months after Trump’s promise, Democrats flipped seats in both the House and Senate and won several governorships in the Nov. 3 elections – including in Texas and Georgia.
As Democratic victories began rolling in soon after 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, Fox News commentator Jesse Watters referenced the $5,000 checks on air.
“It’s not a ‘red wave.’ I don’t think we’re going to get our $5,000 checks,” Watters quipped. “I know Bret [Baier] really needed that one.”
Issuing $5,000 payments to every adult U.S. citizen would have cost the government more than $1 trillion.
During his Sept. 9 speech, Trump said the “only caveat” of the dividends would be that the money “must be spent in the United States of America.”
Soon after the announcement, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio voiced enthusiastic support for the proposal in an X post.
“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 wrote.
The promise sparked criticism that Trump was effectively offering Americans money to vote Republican.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland called the proposal a “political bribe” that would add $1.3 trillion to the “wreckage of this fantastically reckless and dysfunctional presidency.”
In an interview on Fox News after Trump’s September speech, Vice President JD Vance said he didn’t think the $5,000 dividend promise was a “controversial idea.” He said revenue from tariffs would help fund the payouts.
“What the president’s just saying is, ‘If you keep it going,’ to the American people, ‘If you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you’re going to share in some of the benefit of this incredible wealth that we’re creating in the United States of America,'” Vance said in the interview.
Trump reiterated his promise in an Oct. 3 video posted to social media, saying, “I look forward to signing those checks.”
Fast-forward to November, Democrats flipped at least seven Senate seats to gain a 54-seat majority, with victories in traditionally Republican states such as Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina. Democrats also flipped dozens of House seats from California to New Jersey, including three in Iowa.
Late Tuesday, Nov. 3, Trump posted a photo of a red baseball cap emblazoned with the word “VETO” to Truth Social, among other posts, but made no mention of his $5,000 dividend promise that night.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday, Nov. 4, following the election.
Bart Jansen and Erin Mansfield of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Trump’s $5,000 ‘dividend’ promise fades after Democrats win Congress
