'Because they can't': Trump makes fresh case for delaying his $5,000 dividend to US citizens

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump defended his plan to delay a proposed $5,000 dividend until after the midterms, arguing Democrats could not make those payments right now.

Trump tied the proposed payments to tariff revenue, saying the country is taking in $21 trillion and describing the figure as unprecedented.

He made the remarks in a Fox News interview clip shared on Thursday, September 10, ahead of its later airing on ‘The Ingraham Angle’.

Trump says Democrats cannot pay it now

Asked by Laura Ingraham, “Why not just give the money now? If you have the money, why not?”

Trump replied: “Because they can't. I'll tell you what. Because the Democrats can't do it.”

Trump then connected the timing of the payments to his argument about economic growth and tariff collections.

“Because with them it's negative growth,” Trump said. “With us it's so positive.”

He said the government is taking in “twenty one trillion dollars” and claimed, “Nobody, no country's ever taken in anywhere near that.” Trump said the amount is “four or five times higher than the next,” before crediting tariffs.

“All because of that beautiful word that you and I love more than most others- tariffs,” he told Ingraham.

The comments followed Trump's Wednesday pledge at the Republican National Committee's midterm convention in Dallas to give every American citizen a $5,000 “dividend” after the midterms if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate.

“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said during the speech.

President Trump has not detailed how the checks would work

Trump did not provide details on how the proposed “Trump Dividends” would be distributed or whether he would ask Congress to authorize the payments, according to CBS News.

He also previously floated $2,000 tariff-funded dividends. 

The latest proposal is tied to his broader argument that tariff revenue reflects what he described as the country's “tremendous economic success.”

Vice President JD Vance, appearing on Fox News after Trump's speech in Dallas, described the proposal as “fundamentally a dividend for American workers.”

“We're taking in an extraordinary amount of revenue because the president of the United States is actually standing up to both foreign companies and also foreign countries who've been taking advantage of America's workers for pretty much my entire life,” Vance said.

The Bipartisan Policy Center reported that the US has brought in just under $500 billion in tariff and excise tax revenue since the start of last year, while more than $100 billion has been refunded following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down many of the administration's tariffs, the outlet report said.

The proposal comes with a major price tag

Sending $5,000 checks to approximately 245 million adult citizens could cost more than $1 trillion, according to the report.

There is precedent for broad payments to US households, it added. 

Congress authorized several rounds of checks during 2020 and 2021 as part of efforts to stimulate the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The outlet also noted that economic stimulus programs can contribute to inflation, with many economists believing pandemic-era stimulus was at least partially responsible for the increase in consumer prices that followed.

Trump compared the proposed dividend with Trump Account child investment funds, which were authorized by Congress, and last year's “warrior dividend” bonuses for US service members, funded through a military housing supplement approved by lawmakers, the report stated.