Trump Jokes His Proposed $5,000 Dividend Would Buy ‘One Hamburger’ At Mar-a-Lago, Mocks ‘Affordability’ As ‘Made Up By Democrats’

MOUNT POCONO, PENNSYLVANIA – DECEMBER 09: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort on December 9, 2025 in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. Trump discussed his economic agenda and its efforts to lower the cost of living. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump used a campaign rally in Georgia on Friday to promote his promised $5,000 “Trump dividend,” then quipped that the full payment would barely cover lunch at his own private club.

Speaking at Dalton Municipal Airport alongside Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins and gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson, Trump told supporters the country would be “flat broke” if Democrats win control of Congress in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

“If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, I am going to give all adult citizens in the United States $5,000,” Trump said.

The president explained that the payments would come with one “caveat”: the money must be spent inside the United States. He then acted out an imaginary couple deciding what to do with their windfall.

One week of political news in your inbox!

“You can’t say, ‘Darling, the president just sent us $5,000, let’s take a trip to China and spend our money in China,’” Trump said.

Playing the wife, he continued, “‘So, let’s go to Miami, darling. Or let’s go to Palm Beach and join the president for lunch at Mar-a-Lago.’”

As the crowd cheered, Trump delivered the punchline: “Where, for $5,000, you will get one hamburger and a small dessert.”

During the same speech, Trump dismissed “affordability,” a central issue in this year’s midterm campaigns, as a word “made up by the Democrats.” He also pointed to a recent $1,776 payment to military members as proof that he delivers on such promises.

Trump first unveiled the dividend last month at the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention in Dallas, an event Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters informally dubbed “Trumpapalooza.” He has since insisted the payments will “happen 100 percent” if the GOP keeps both chambers.

With roughly 270 million adults in the U.S., the payments would cost more than $1 trillion. The White House has not explained how the money would be funded or how a requirement to spend it domestically would be enforced.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said taxpayers would not pay for the dividend or see it add to the deficit. But a key revenue source has shrunk: the Supreme Court struck down the administration’s sweeping tariffs and ordered $166 billion in refunds. Asked whether Congress would need to sign off on the checks, Trump said, “Well, we think not.”

The proposal has drawn criticism from both parties. Several Senate Republicans gave the idea a cool reception, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned the checks would mean “more debt and more inflation.”

Legal analysts at the publication Just Security argued that tying the payments to a Republican victory could run afoul of federal laws against buying votes. They noted that the pledge replaced Trump’s earlier promise of a $2,000 “tariff dividend,” which was not conditioned on election results.

The dividend has become a fixture of Trump’s closing pitch as he crisscrosses the country for Republican candidates. He was scheduled to rally in Kansas on Monday before heading to North Carolina, South Carolina and Iowa later in the week.

Erik Meers is the founder and editor of uPolitics.com and uInterview.com. He was previously the Managing Editor of GQ and Harper’s Bazaar. Follow him on X and Instagram at @erikmeers.

President Donald Trump renewed his push on Monday to rename New Mexico, declaring on Truth…

Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse are entering the battle for control of the Senate, appearing…

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board tore into President Donald Trump this weekend for waiving…

Retiring Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei said he would “absolutely not” vote for David Flippo,…

Several MAGA election activists with close access to President Donald Trump are openly pushing for…

Corruption in government has overtaken the economy as the issue voters are most worried about…