Donald Trump has never treated conventional campaign rules as binding, but even by his own standards, his promise to give every American $5,000 (£3,700) if Republicans win the midterm elections was extraordinary.
The eye-catching pledge was not the central message of his keynote speech on the opening night of the Republican midterm convention on Wednesday.
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He mentioned it roughly an hour into the lengthy address, just as the crowd’s focus appeared to be fading.
The president provided no explanation of how he would finance a payment programme worth more than one trillion dollars, or how the money would reach eligible Americans.
When asked to clarify, the White House said in a statement that “the announcement is the latest proof that President Trump does what the so-called ‘experts’ say cannot be done: he delivers for the American people”. It offered no further details on how the plan would work.
Supporters inside the Republican convention arena in Dallas, Texas, responded to the announcement with loud applause.
Yet Republicans fighting to hold or win competitive seats in November – many of whom must appeal to sceptical swing voters, moderate Republicans and independents – largely avoided the gathering.
Trump’s fellow Republicans also appeared to have been caught off guard. Some embraced the proposal, while lawmakers already critical of the president moved quickly to condemn it.
Conservatives who have repeatedly clashed with Trump, particularly over the federal debt’s continued rise during his presidency, delivered some of the sharpest criticism.
Thomas Massie, the Republican representative from Kentucky who lost his primary earlier this year after criticising Trump, wrote on X: “I don’t know about you all, but frankly I’m insulted by the notion that my vote this November could be bought for 5k. Not to mention the inflation this would cause. All things considered, I cannot in good conscience accept a penny less than 10k!”
Senator Susan Collins, who skipped Dallas to campaign in Maine as she faces a close re-election contest, said: “Tax and spending decisions should be made based on the needs of the American people and the state of the economy, they should not appear to be tied to election results.”
Democrats dismissed the proposal as an “empty promise”.
Legal experts have said a president would probably be unable to authorise such a huge expenditure through an executive order alone. Trump, however, indicated on Thursday that he might not seek approval from Congress.
In an interview with the BBC’s US partner CBS, he said he did not believe Congress would have to approve the spending, adding: “I think they will do it, if we needed it.”
Many fiscally conservative Republican representatives, however, would likely oppose a spending package of this scale.
Former Republican Representative Bob Good branded the proposed “Trump dividend” a “socialist vote-buying scheme”.
Even so, the convention underscored Trump’s continued control over the Republican Party. In the House of Representatives at least, he has previously persuaded lawmakers to support policies that depart from traditional conservative positions.
This is not Trump’s first promise of a direct cash payment to voters. Americans are still waiting for the $2,000 cheques he said would be funded by revenue from his trade tariffs. A separate proposal by Elon Musk for $5,000 payments financed through his Doge spending cuts has also failed to materialise.
Trump has followed through on his pledge to create Trump saving accounts, including a $1,000 government contribution for children born during his term. Every member of the US military also received $1,776 to mark America’s 250th anniversary.
Does the latest promise indicate that Donald Trump believes he is heading towards a significant defeat in November and needs an especially dramatic appeal to voters?
Although the president himself is not on the ballot, midterm elections are often treated as a referendum on the White House occupant. The party in power frequently pays the political price.
With less than two months remaining before election day, Trump is also confronting historically low approval ratings.
His war with Iran has grown increasingly unpopular, while its consequences are being felt by Americans at the petrol pump. Affordability remains a leading concern for voters. Inflation has fallen from the post-Covid peak reached under Joe Biden, but it remains stubbornly elevated.
Could the pledge therefore reflect a degree of panic, after Trump produced the policy seemingly from nowhere before many of his closest allies had even heard about it?
There is little doubt that launching a major election promise in this fashion is highly unusual.
But Trump’s political rise has long depended on rejecting established norms and operating outside conventional expectations.
The latest gambit may succeed – but only if voters are convinced that he genuinely intends to send them a cheque.
