President Donald Trump's $5,000 dividend check proposal drew sharp reactions from voters, with some calling it a publicity stunt unlikely to pass Congress.
Page A2From§Eachthe sunrise edition — 15 September 2026
Trump's $5,000 dividend, promised only if Republicans win, gets abandoned by Republicans before they've won
“It's a bribe with a layaway plan — the check shows up after you vote for the guy, and his own senators are already telling reporters, on the record, that there's no bill and no money behind it. A debate moderator in Kansas put the real number on it, $1.2 trillion, and the senator backtracked on stage before he could finish his own sentence. "Guaranteed" turns out to mean guaranteed to get your vote — nobody guaranteed the check.”
“"Look, this is a formal proposal from the president to put real money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans — well, all adults, including the ones who don't work or pay taxes, which I believe is the objection several of our own senators — did I say 'our'? I meant the party's — have already raised on the record. It's fully funded by tariff revenue, which is projected to cover it, which is not the same word as funded, which — okay, there's no bill. There's no bill yet."”
The receipts
"We've got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt" - Trump promised it done "over a period of eight years," 31 March 2016 The Washington Post, 31 March 2016 interview
Trump’s $5,000 dividend falls flat with GOP senatorsPresident Trump's call to give all American adults $5,000 payments if Republicans win the midterm election is getting panned by Republican lawmakers, who warn they will not support giving away money to people who don’t work or pay taxes. Fiscal hawks in the GOP warn the extravagant proposal raises questions about the looming insolvency…
· Trump sees backlash over $5K dividend pledge from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· 5 things to know about Trump's $5K dividend pledge from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Vance strikes back at concern $5,000 Trump dividend will stoke debt: ‘Wealth will go back to the people’ from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Marshall backtracks on support for $5,000 Trump dividend in Kansas Senate debate from the morgue, 12 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.