Trump’s Promised $5,000 Dividend Could Be Made Possible by Tariffs

[Financial News] U.S. President Donald Trump said that, if the Republican Party retains its majority in both the House and the Senate ahead of the midterm elections in November, it will pay a $5,000 dividend per person to every adult U.S. citizen through tariff revenue.
In an interview with Fox News on the 10th (local time), President Trump reaffirmed his pledge to pay the dividend, which he first mentioned in a speech at the Republican Party’s midterm election convention in Dallas, Texas, the previous day. He said the Democratic Party causes the economy to contract, while only the Republican Party can deliver what the Democratic Party says is impossible.
He particularly emphasized that the tariffs could generate $21 trillion, saying that this would be unprecedented anywhere in the world.
Regarding the $21 trillion, President Trump said it was four times the amount generated by the next-largest economy after the United States. He added, "This is possible because of the most beautiful word, tariffs."
As for the payment method, the plan would be modeled on the way successful companies pay cash dividends to their shareholders. Trump added that the dividends "must be spent only within the United States."
Local experts and political figures have raised concerns about the feasibility of Trump’s dividend plan and its fiscal burden.
If $5,000 were paid to every adult, the total budget would exceed $1 trillion (approximately 1,330 trillion won). Critics point out that annual tariff revenue alone would fall far short of covering the cost, potentially causing a massive increase in the national debt.
Congressional approval would also be essential for the policy to be implemented. Opposition lawmakers and some critics have strongly condemned the pledge as "an obvious attempt to buy votes ahead of the election," while Republicans have countered that it is "a legitimate return to citizens, similar to corporate dividends paid to shareholders."
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