Don’t spend the money yet: Is Trump still sending the $5,000 midterm payments?

NewsPresident Donald Trump greets supporters as he arrives to speak at the Republican convention, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonTuesday’s blue wave means Democrats will control the U.S. House and Senate. It also means that the likelihood of Americans receiving a $5,000 check – a midterm promise by President Donald Trump – isn’t high.Trump made the promise in September at the Republican National Convention midterm gathering in Dallas. If Republicans maintained control of Congress, all adults citizens in the U.S. would receive a $5,000 “dividend,” the president said.“Here is my promise: if the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them… because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” the president said.“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” he added. “It will be called the Trump Dividend.”The president didn’t offer details on who would qualify for the payments, timing or how they would be issued. And now, White House officials are vague on the prospects.When asked about the prospects of the payments, Trump spokesperson Matthew Middleton told CNN, “Moving forward, the President will work with anyone willing to advance solutions that strengthen our economy. We hope Democrats will put the American people first and join us in that effort.Critics and even some supporters had been skeptical of the pledge even before the midterms. Paying 270 million American adults $5,000 each would cost roughly $1.35 trillion, adding to the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit. Any plans would have to be approved by Congress, and even Republican lawmakers said they were caught off guard by the idea.There is precedent for widespread public payments, however.Previous federal government payments issued during the COVID pandemic came with income restrictions. COVID stimulus payments were issued in three rounds — $1,200, $600 and $1,400 per person — in 2020 and 2021. Income limits for those payments ranged from $75,000 for single filers to $150,000 for married couples.Leada Gore is a Senior Managing Producer for the Advance Local trending team, covering finance, government and consumer issues. She worked as a Managing Producer for AL.com, starting at the site in 2013 as the...