Trump promises $5,000 checks if Republicans keep Congress

President Donald Trump promised Wednesday to send $5,000 checks to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate, using the party’s first midterm convention to urge supporters to vote as if he were on the ballot.

“If Republicans win both the House and the Senate, because of our tremendous economic success, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States for $5,000,” Trump told Republicans gathered at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. NBC News reported he added that the money would have to be spent in the United States.

Trump offered few details on how the proposal would work, including whether he would ask Congress to approve the payments, where the money would come from or how a domestic spending requirement would be enforced. CBS News estimated that sending $5,000 checks to about 245 million adult citizens could cost more than $1 trillion. NBC News put the cost at roughly $1.35 trillion and said it asked the White House for details.

“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said.

The president has floated similar ideas before, including dividends funded by tariffs and checks tied to savings from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, NBC News reported. Those payments have not materialized. During his speech, Trump compared the new proposal to Trump Account child investment funds approved by Congress and “warrior dividend” bonuses for service members funded through a military housing supplement approved by lawmakers.

The promise came during a keynote address aimed at energizing Republican voters in the final stretch before November’s midterm elections. Republicans are trying to protect narrow majorities in both chambers of Congress, while Democrats are looking to retake the House and compete in a small number of Senate battlegrounds.

“Pretend that I am on the ballot,” Trump said to cheers. “I’m on the ballot.” He also said, “The midterms are not supposed to be won by the sitting president. We are going to change that.”

Trump’s approval ratings are low, and Republicans are concerned about whether his supporters will turn out in large numbers when he is not formally running, NBC News reported. Several vulnerable House Republicans skipped the two-day convention to campaign in their districts, and some state Republican parties had complained about the event’s timing so close to Election Day.

Trump said about 35 House and Senate races are especially important and pledged to campaign in each of those states through rallies and telephone town halls. “The ones that are very close, they might be winning by a little or losing by a little or tied,” he said. “I am going to go to every one of those states.”

The convention also showcased Trump-aligned candidates. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for Senate against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, addressed the crowd, as did Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins, who is trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Trump endorsed Paxton strongly, calling him “the greatest attorney general in America” and saying he would visit Texas repeatedly if needed.

NBC News reported that a Trump-aligned super PAC spent nearly $50 million this week on advertising in seven Senate races, including $14 million in Michigan to support Republican Mike Rogers against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and $12 million in Ohio, where Republican Sen. Jon Husted is running against Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Trump’s speech also returned to familiar themes: border security, tax cuts, domestic energy production, tariffs and White House renovations. He briefly defended the war with Iran, saying the United States is winning, and mused about renaming the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait.” He attacked Democrats as “radical-left” and warned, “Hand America’s future to the radical-left Democrats, and our nation will spend the next decade just getting back on its feet.”