Trump promises $5,000 cash payout to every US adult if Republicans win Congress

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States is capable of fulfilling his promise to provide a $5,000 cash payout to every American adult, if the Republican Party retains control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.

Asked whether this pledge would require congressional approval, Trump told reporters during a visit to Ireland: "I don’t know, but it’s easy if Republicans win."

Trump asserted that his administration could "easily" afford to pay $5,000 to every adult in the country, saying: "We are making a lot of money, trillions of dollars are flowing into the country." He emphasized that the US government has the funds needed to finance these payments.

"The devil is in the details"

Trump first floated the idea of a $5,000 payout during a speech at the Republican Party conference last week. However, US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said on Sunday that any such payments would require congressional approval.

Johnson told CNN: "Of course, the devil is in the details. We have to study all of that."

Democratic politicians criticized the proposal on Sunday morning talk shows. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told ABC it was "not a serious proposal."

Republican Representative Mike Lawler of New York, who is in a tight re-election race, did not explicitly endorse Trump’s $5,000 payout plan. He told ABC: "I support putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans," referring to tax cuts included in a Republican-backed bill passed last year.

He added: "But whether you call it a stimulus check or a cash payout, the question is: how will you fund it? That’s my main concern. We have a $4 trillion debt and need to take this issue seriously."

Accusations of vote-buying

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the consumer watchdog group Public Citizen, previously described the move as an attempt to buy votes.

She said: "This blatant and desperate attempt to buy votes in the November elections represents a new low. Trump knows he cannot deliver on this, yet he is trying to bribe voters with a false promise of cash to help his party win, which goes against all principles of American democracy."

About an hour into his speech at the Republican conference in Dallas on Wednesday evening, Trump said: "If Republicans win both the House and the Senate, thanks to our tremendous strength and economic success, I will issue a $5,000 payment to every adult citizen in the United States." Cameras showed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent smiling and applauding his remarks.

In a Fox News interview following Trump’s speech, the host asked US Vice President JD Vance about Trump’s $5,000 promise, which would amount to $1.3 trillion. Vance replied: "Tariffs have generated significant revenue, and what the president is saying is: if you keep us in power, you’ll get a share of the enormous wealth we are creating."

Trump is seeking to rally support for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, vowing during his Wednesday speech to campaign for GOP lawmakers facing tough races, and urging voters to treat the November elections as a referendum on his presidency.