Trump has now promised $12K in payouts. Will we ever see them?
Trump has now promised $12K in payouts. Will we ever see them?
Brandon Girod, Pensacola News JournalThu, September 10, 2026 at 3:37 PM UTC
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President Donald Trump has promised every adult American citizen $5,000 if Republicans win both the U.S. House and Senate, but it’s not the first time he’s made such a promise.
During his second term, Trump has promised $12,000 in dividend or rebate payouts, including the one he made at the Republicans’ first-ever convention in the middle of a presidential term.
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said during the convention.
The money would have to be used within the U.S., according to Trump, though it’s not clear how it would or could be tracked.
“We don’t want you going to Canada to spend the money. We don’t want you going to China, to Germany. You got to spend the money in the United States of America,” he said.
In the past, Trump has promised a Doge dividend of $5,000 and a $2,000 “tariff refund.”
What are the chances that Trump would pay out on his third promise? Here’s what to know.
How much would the 'Trump dividend' cost taxpayers?
Doing some quick math, there are roughly 260 million adult citizens in the U.S., which comes out to $1.3 trillion – a number large enough that most calculators spit it out in scientific notation.
Where would the money for the 'Trump dividend' come from?
That part isn't quite clear, though the BBC has reported that Vice President J.D. Vance linked the plan to revenue that Trump has raised from U.S. tariffs on imported goods, which are paid for by U.S. citizens.
Is the 'Trump dividend' legal?
This question is up for legal debate.
Federal law states that a person who offers to pay someone either to vote or withhold their vote, or to vote for or against any candidate, will be fined or face jail time.
Several legal experts speaking to the New York Times seemed to believe that Trump's promise may not cross into illegal territory.
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Jessica Levinson, who teaches election law at Loyola Law School at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, told the New York Times that it could be similar to a promise to lower taxes. Richard Hasen, a law expert at the University of California, said that the First Amendment protected it.
What happened to the $5,000 DOGE dividend?
The $5,000 DOGE dividend was first proposed by Azoria investment firm CEO James Fishback, who has since stepped away from the movement. It was originally proposed on Elon Musk's social media platform X, which caught Musk's eye. "Will check with the President," Musk said in reply to the post.
In February 2025, Trump said that he would consider the plan during a summit in Miami, where he explained that the funding would come from the $130 billion savings DOGE claimed to have discovered at the time.
That number has changed drastically over time, but even at its highest estimates, currently $215 billion, it is only a small fraction of the dividend proposal's $1.3 trillion price tag.
Neither Trump nor his administration ever shared any further specifics or details about the DOGE dividend.
What happened to the $2,000 'tariff refund?'
Trump was more invested in a plan to release a $2,000 dividend check from tariff revenue in 2025, with his administration spending more time publicly talking about the plan.
In November, Karoline Leavitt, who was the White House press secretary at the time, said that Trump remained "committed" to sending out the checks.
"We are currently exploring all legal options to get that done," she said. "I can confirm for you that the president made it clear he wants to make it happen."
The idea seems to have fizzled out in the administration, which hasn't released any details since last year.
Will Trump honor his 'Trump dividend?'
In the past, Trump has talked about potential payouts with great enthusiasm, but his past two promises haven't panned out.
In an interview with the New York Times, David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said that it is ultimately up to the voters on whether or not they trust Trump to deliver.
"If I were a voter, I would be asking myself, why are you promizing to do this in 2027? You control both houses now. Why not deliver on this promise now?"
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Trump has now promised $12K in payouts. Will we ever see them?
Source: “AOL Breaking”
