Can Trump really pay $5,000 to every American adult?
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By Alex Boyd (EPA)
US President Donald Trump has proposed giving every adult American $5,000 (£3,700) if Republicans win the November midterm elections. However, there are doubts about how such a plan would be funded and its legality.
His announcement sparked enthusiastic applause from supporters at a Republican convention on Wednesday night, while Democrats dismissed it as an "empty promise". Trump clarified that the funds must be spent within the US, but details on financing remain scarce. Vice-President JD Vance suggested potential funding sources might include tariff revenue, ensuring the money doesn’t go to wealthy Americans.
Is Trump’s offer legal?
Under US federal law, direct payments intended to influence voting are illegal. However, some legal experts argue that Trump’s proposal could be construed as a tax cut pledge, which is legally permissible.
Dr Joan Mahoney, a law lecturer at the University of Southampton, believes the offer would likely be legal since it resembles a campaign promise: "It sounds like a bribe on one hand… but since everyone receives the money regardless of their voting choice, it wouldn’t technically be considered a bribe."
Laurel Rapp, director of the US and North America programme at Chatham House, disagrees, stating that Trump’s offer is fundamentally different from typical campaign promises.
How much would it cost?
Even setting aside legal concerns, there are financial questions. With nearly 270 million American adults, a $5,000 payout for all of them would amount to a staggering $1.3 trillion. Trump has not specified how this expense would be covered, and it’s unclear if he could obtain congressional approval or implement such a large transfer via executive order.
Erica York, a senior economist at the Washington-based think tank, The Pew Charitable Trusts, questions the feasibility of such a plan given the US’ mounting debt, partly attributable to the Iran war.
