Donald Trump says $5,000 payments to US adults are like "a cash distribution to its shareholders"

At a Republican midterm gathering, former president Donald Trump said he would issue a $5,000 payment to every adult American if Republicans secure control of both the House and Senate, likening the proposal to a corporate cash payout and recalling a prior $1,776 benefit given to service members. Fox News analysts noted this was not his first promise of direct payments, citing earlier pledges for $2,000 checks tied to tariff policy that have not materialized. Critics on the network suggested the plan amounts to voter inducement and could add roughly $1.3 trillion to the deficit, far exceeding the under‑$500 billion in tariff revenue that Vice President JD Vance referenced as supporting the idea.