Trump: “If Republicans win the midterms, $5,000 per person—but don’t spend it overseas, including in South Korea”

[Financial News] U.S. President Donald Trump has revived his so-called “Trump Dividend” pledge ahead of the midterm elections on the 3rd of next month, promising to pay $5,000 per person (about 6.68 million won) to every adult citizen in the country, provided Republicans win. He attached a condition, however: the money must be spent in the United States, not overseas, including in South Korea.

At a rally in support of the midterm elections at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida, on the 30th (local time), President Trump said, “If Republicans win both the House and the Senate, I’ll give $5,000 to every adult citizen in the United States.”
He also made clear that the dividend could be spent only in the United States. “The only condition is that the money has to be spent in the U.S.,” he said, emphasizing, “A married couple who love each other can’t say, ‘Honey, let’s take $10,000 (about 13.36 million won) and go to China, Japan or South Korea.’” He also joked about France as a romantic destination, saying, “Let’s go to France and study the revolution.”
Trump cited tariff revenue and record economic performance as funding sources for the dividend. He claimed that although it would cost around $1 trillion (about 1,335.8 trillion won), he could afford it after attracting $22.2 trillion in investment (about 29,654.76 trillion won) and generating $25 trillion in wealth (about 33,395 trillion won). He also pointed to the $1,776.77 (about 2.37 million won) previously paid to U.S. service members.
However, paying $5,000 each to about 245 million people would require $1.225 trillion (about 1,636.355 trillion won), while tariff revenue stood at just $64 billion (about 8.54912 trillion won) as of July, leaving the funding unclear. Congressional legislation would be essential for the payments to be made. Moreover, election forecasting sites and others give Democrats a strong chance of retaking both the House and the Senate, raising questions about whether the pledge can be fulfilled.

At the rally, President Trump directly named Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was in attendance, and urged him to investigate and prosecute the Democratic candidate in the Alaska Senate race. He called the Democrats’ decision to put forward Dan J. Sullivan, who shares a name with Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan, “the highest level of election fraud.” He also called for Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate accused of being behind the scheme, to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. The U.S. Department of Justice has already filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the election results if Peltola wins.
Trump also pushed back against Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who cited a $25 billion (about 33.395 trillion won) cost for military operations and war in Iran and Venezuela and raised the possibility of impeachment. “We made about 10 times that in Venezuela. You have to look at the balance sheet,” he said. On responsibility for the war with Iran, he also claimed, “The United States didn’t start it, and Iran has been waging war against the United States since 1979.”


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter