Former US President Donald Trump has pledged to send a $5,000 check to every American citizen if the Republican party wins the November midterms. Speaking on Wednesday at the midterms convention in Dallas, Texas, Trump stated that his administration would pay a “Trump Dividend” to each American adult if voters help Republicans keep their congressional majority through the 2026 midterms.
The announcement has quickly drawn comparisons to the 2006 dystopian comedy *Idiocracy*. Online commentators and former MAGA politician Marjorie Taylor Greene noted the similarity between Trump's pledge and a scene in the film where Terry Crews' character, President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho, promises to give every person in the country $1 million.
Trump indicated the checks would reflect the country’s economic success under his administration and funds collected from tariffs. He also stated that the funds would need to be spent in America, though he did not explain how this rule would be enforced or where the Treasury would source the money.
Critics have labelled the gesture a “bribe,” and analysts have expressed doubt about whether the money would materialise. Based on 2020 U.S. Census Bureau data, which recorded 258.3 million American adults, the pledge could cost over $1.3 trillion.