WASHINGTON, Nov 9 (Bernama-dpa) — United States President Donald Trump says the government will pay most citizens a “dividend” of at least US$2,000 each, in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
Only high-income citizens are to be excluded, he wrote, without specifying income levels or a timeline.
Trump’s post comes nearly a week after Democrats scored gains across the country in numerous local and state races, notably winning the governorships in New Jersey and Virginia and overturning Republican seats at a utility commission in Georgia, a heavily Republican state.
Following the election, criticism has emerged within Trump’s own ranks that he has not been paying enough attention to his core voters, whom he had promised, in his campaign, a reduction in the cost of living.
US inflation has remained high, and is stuck at around 3 per cent, leading many people across the country to complain about higher prices.
In his post, Trump praised the US economy, saying that tariffs would bring in “trillions of dollars”, which could soon be used to start paying off the country’s enormous debt.
Trump called the US “the Richest, Most Respected Country in the World”, saying that there was “Almost no Inflation and A Record Stock Market Price.”
Many US small businesses have complained about the tariffs and some filed suit against them in a case that was heard last week in the Supreme Court.
Analysts have noted the concerns about the consequences of the boom in artificial intelligence (AI), such as mass layoffs and higher electricity prices. In New York and other large cities, high housing costs are also an issue.
The president had already publicly floated the idea of a payout to US citizens months ago, but did not pursue it then.
— BERNAMA-dpa