President Donald Trump has entered the final phase of the US midterm election campaign with an unusual promise: $5,000 for every adult American citizen if Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives and Senate.
The US president has called this scheme the "Trump Dividend" and has directly linked it to the Republican victory in the election. His condition is that the money be spent within the United States.
The promise was made in Dallas, during a Republican Party conference, where Trump presented the November race as a referendum on his presidency.
"If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I will give a $5,000 dividend to every adult citizen of the United States," Trump declared.
The US has about 270 million adults, so a universal payment of $5,000 would bring the cost of the program to about $1.3 trillion, depending on eligibility criteria.
Trump has not explained how such a program would be funded. Vice President JD Vance has linked the "dividend" to tariff revenue, arguing that it is a return of some of the money collected by the US government.
Vance has also left open the possibility that high-income citizens could be excluded from the scheme.
However, tariff revenues are far below the amount needed for such a payment. This would require other sources of financing or increased federal borrowing.
Linking a specific amount of money to a party's victory has also raised legal questions.
American laws prohibit vote buying, but Trump's promise does not link the payment to individual citizens' votes.
The president did not say that only those who vote Republican will receive the $5,000. The promise applies to all American citizens if Republicans win both houses of Congress.
This makes the proposal more similar to an electoral promise of economic benefits than to a payment in exchange for a specific vote.
Trump cannot decide the distribution of about $1.3 trillion alone.
Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress controls federal spending. For this reason, the program would require a law passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as a clear funding mechanism.
Even if customs tariff revenues are to be used, the president cannot redistribute them unilaterally through a decree.
So, the promise may be legal as an electoral statement, but its implementation requires Congressional approval.
The promise comes at a time when the war with Iran has impacted the cost of living in the US.
Attacks on US and allied bases in the Persian Gulf, as well as disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, have impacted international energy markets.
Rising energy prices have been reflected in fuel, transportation and other products, adding to the economic pressure on Americans.
Trump has warned that the conflict is unlikely to end before the midterm elections and that oil prices will not fall anytime soon. He has defended the cost as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
In this climate, the promise of $5,000 takes on special political weight: Trump is asking Americans to bear the economic costs of the conflict, while promising an increase in their purchasing power if Republicans retain Congress.
Democrats have described the plan as an "empty promise," while questions are also related to the impact that an injection of more than $1 trillion could have on inflation.
Trump has previously proposed $2,000 payments funded by customs revenue, but that initiative was not implemented.
This time, the amount has increased to $5,000 and is directly linked to keeping the House of Representatives and Senate under Republican control.
For Trump, losing one of the two chambers of Congress would significantly limit his legislative agenda during the final two years of his term.
The message in Dallas was straightforward: if Republicans hold Congress, Americans can get $5,000.
But for this promise to turn into a real payment, Trump will need the votes of Congress.
