Brian Kilmeade Airs Donald Trump's Promise of $5,000 Checks If GOP Wins

Fox News host Brian Kilmeade's One Nation aired a pledge from President Donald Trump on Sunday night: every adult U.S. citizen gets $5,000 if Republicans hold the House and Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections. Trump said tariffs would pay for it.

The promise came at a rally in Kansas, where Trump was campaigning for Senator Roger Marshall and gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson. Trump put the cost at "approximately $1 trillion." That is several times what the government collects in customs duties in a year.

What Trump Promised in Kansas

"If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I am going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America $5,000," Trump told the crowd. "If you're married, if you have a wife, it's 5,000 and 5,000. It's 10."

He said "only Republicans can do it," adding: "We're taking in massive amounts of money through tariffs and record-setting economic success." He warned that "if the Democrats win, you will have a 1929-style economic depression."

Trump attached one condition: "the Trump dividend is that you have to spend the money in the United States of America. We don't want you going to France." He joked that at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida club, "all you'd get would be one hamburger and a very small dessert."

He also said "we're very easily able to do it."

"If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I am going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America $5,000." — Donald Trump

Kilmeade did not discuss the pledge itself. After the speech, he said Trump "can do another two or three tonight. He doesn't need to sleep." He added that Trump spoke to Kansas voters "because he's very worried about the Senate. Roger Marshall seems to be in a virtual dead heat in his race." Democrat Adam Hamilton leads Marshall by 4.1 points in PolitiKool's polling average for Kansas.

What a $5,000 Trump Dividend Would Cost

The Census Bureau found that 174 million people, or 73.6 percent of the citizen voting-age population, were registered to vote in 2024, according to its 2024 voting and registration tables. Dividing 174 million by 73.6 percent, PolitiKool's own calculation, gives roughly 236 million adult citizens. At $5,000 each, the payments would cost about $1.18 trillion, a little more than the figure Trump gave.

Tariffs bring in far less than that. Net customs duties totaled $173 billion in fiscal year 2026, which ended September 30, down from $195 billion the year before, according to the American Action Forum. That means one year of customs receipts would cover less than a sixth of the cost.

The drop in revenue reflects the courts, which struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

After the ruling, the government issued about $130 billion in tariff refunds between May and September, according to the American Action Forum. That helped push the fiscal 2026 deficit to $2 trillion.

Trump Cites the $1,776 Military Bonus

Trump offered a past payment as proof he would follow through. "I gave all members of the military $1,776. I gave it to them as a bonus. And the Democrats said he'll never be able to do that. I did it, and it was done a year ago," he said.

Trump announced that "warrior dividend" on December 17, 2025. It went to about 1.45 million service members and cost $2.6 billion, according to CBS News. The money did not come from tariffs. It came from a $2.9 billion military housing appropriation Congress included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The $5,000 dividend would cost roughly 400 times as much.

Voters have been skeptical of Trump on money matters. His approval on the economy stands at 29.6 percent in PolitiKool's polling average.

What Happens Next

Any payment would need Congress to act after the votes are counted. Republicans would need to hold both chambers, pass a bill and decide how to pay for a sum several times the government's annual customs revenue.