Can Trump really pay $5,000 to every American adult? — SkimNews
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- Donald Trump offered $5,000 (£3,700) to every American adult at a Texas Republican convention on Wednesday, saying the money would have to be spent in the US, though he gave no details on enforcement or funding — Democrats labelled it an "empty promise"
- The plan would cost approximately $1.3 trillion to cover nearly 270 million US adults, with Congress required to authorize the spending; Tax Foundation senior economist Erica York said she would be "extremely surprised" if Congress approved it, calling it "one of the worst ways to use $1.3 trillion" against projected growing deficits
- Vice-President JD Vance told Fox News tariff revenue could fund the payments, but the US has collected only around $475bn in tariff and excise tax revenue since early 2025, with more than $100bn refunded after the Supreme Court struck down many of Trump's tariffs
- University of Southampton law lecturer Dr Joan Mahoney told the BBC the offer could be legal as a tax-cut-style campaign pledge since payments would go to everyone regardless of how they voted, while Chatham House's Laurel Rapp called it "a very different, very transactional agreement" than typical candidate promises
- Former Republican strategist Robert Moran said the pledge should be viewed through the lens of an election less than two months away, adding: "I am not sure where that money is going to come from"
- Trump previously proposed $2,000 checks funded by tariff revenue that never materialized; similar controversies arose when Joe Biden promised $2,000 COVID stimulus checks ahead of Georgia Senate runoffs in January 2021 and when Elon Musk offered cash incentives to swing-state voters before the 2024 presidential election
Why it matters: The $5,000-per-adult pledge carries a price tag of roughly $1.3 trillion against a tariff revenue base that has netted only around $375 billion after Supreme Court-ordered refunds — a gap so large that congressional approval is unlikely, leaving Republicans exposed to attacks that they are making unfunded economic promises two months before voters decide control of Congress.
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