- During a speech at the Republican midterm convention, President Donald Trump pledged to send a $5,000 "Trump dividend" to every adult American citizen if Republicans retain control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
- The pledge continues a pattern of unfulfilled promises by Trump to issue direct cash checks during his second term, including previously proposed DOGE dividends and tariff refunds.
- The White House announced on Thursday $500 rebate checks to an estimated 1 million Affordable Care Act enrollees across 30 states, whom it alleges the Biden administration overcharged for exchange fees.
- To date, none of the president's proposed large-scale direct payment plans or dividends have materialized.
- The new spending pledge comes as the U.S. national debt reached a record high of more than $40 trillion.
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