Trump said in Ireland that every US adult would get $5,000 if Republicans keep Congress after November, insisting the government could “easily handle” the cost.
240 million adult citizens would put the price tag near $1.2 trillion, landing as US national debt has already topped $40 trillion and the federal government borrowed about $2 trillion in fiscal 2025.
Critics across the political spectrum cast the proposal as vote-buying and fiscally reckless, with budget analyst Marc Goldwein warning it would sharply widen the deficit and likely fuel inflation.
Gavin Newsom tied the pledge to Trump’s weak polling and the economic fallout from the Iran conflict, while Republican Senator Bernie Moreno said he would prepare a bill to pass the “Trump Dividend” after the election.