Trump Faces Questions Over $5,000 Dividend Check Promise

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday, September 9, that he would send $5,000 dividend checks to every adult American citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in the November midterm elections. Speaking to a large crowd at the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, Trump said the payments would be made possible by his administration's economic record and would need to be spent within the United States. He did not explain how the estimated $1.2 to $1.3 trillion program would be funded or whether he had consulted Congress, whose approval would likely be required for any mass disbursement. The announcement drew immediate scrutiny when Fox News host Laura Ingraham pressed the president on the timing in a preview of an interview scheduled to air Thursday evening. When asked why the money could not be distributed now, Trump pointed to tariff revenue and contrasted his party with Democrats. "Because the Democrats can't do it. Because for them, it's negative growth. With us, it's so positive," he said. "So, we're taking in 21 trillion. No country has ever taken in anywhere near that.