Will Trump pay all US adults $5,000? Some Trump supporters are sceptical

Trump: Every American gets $5,000 if Republicans win House & Senate

Dallas, Texas – United States President Donald Trump, a former reality television personality, is no stranger to game-show-style pledges.

But on Wednesday, his remarks at the Republican National Convention in Dallas raised eyebrows as he appeared to hinge a cash prize on the outcome of the November midterm elections.

His speech set the stakes: If Republicans maintain control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Trump said he would give all US adults a “$5,000 dividend”.

“If the Republicans win, you win with us,” he told the audience.

But such a mass payout would set the US government back more than $1 trillion. Not only would the dividend come at a high cost for the federal budget, but it is also likely to inject an economy-rattling amount of cash into US markets, increasing the risk of inflation.

Trump offered few details about how he could make good on such a promise. He said only that the money must be spent in the US.

Soon after Trump’s speech, Senator Bernie Moreno, a staunch Trump ally, pledged to introduce longshot legislation to codify the promise.