Trump reiterates promise of $5,000 dividend payments if Republicans win midterms
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President Donald Trump confirmed in a post on Truth Social on October 4 that every American adult will receive $5,000, or about 168,000 baht, dubbed the Trump dividend, if voters hand Republicans a win in the November 3 midterm elections and give the party majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Trump said he looked forward to signing those checks, and previously, on September 14, he had posted a similar promise, citing the success of pushing through the Great Big Beautiful Bill and $1,776 payments to troops. Reuters reported that the U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are about 240 million adult citizens, which means the government would need to spend about $1.2 trillion, or roughly 39.64 trillion baht. Vice President JD Vance said the government could use tariff revenue to pay for it, but the Congressional Budget Office estimates the government has already collected $167 billion in tariff revenue in the current fiscal year, which ends September 30, and that is still not enough to cover the program's cost, while this year's budget deficit stands at $2.1 trillion. The program requires congressional approval, and even though Republicans control both chambers, their majority is slim, and Democrats could block it in the Senate, where at least 60 votes are needed. In the past, Congress approved direct payments to the public three times during COVID-19, totaling $814 billion, and Trump promised a $2,000 dividend in November 2025 but did not follow through. Meanwhile, the $1,776 warrior dividend for about 1.45 million service members in December 2025 succeeded using funds Congress had already approved.