Trump to Send $90 Payments to More Than 20 Million Seniors, Renews $5,000 Pledge if Republicans Win

President Donald Trump said he will send a one-time payment to more than 20 million seniors to help ease the cost of Medicare premiums. He also renewed a pledge to give every adult U.S. citizen $5,000 if Republicans win the midterm elections, putting cash payments at the center of his campaign a month before the vote.

Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on October 1 that he would send nearly $100 to more than 20 million seniors to help pay Medicare Part B premiums. A White House fact sheet released on October 2 said the payment would be $90 per person.

The payments will begin in early October. Most recipients will receive the money by direct deposit, while checks will be mailed to the Medicare-registered addresses of those who do not use direct deposit. The money will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which Congress funded with $2 billion.

People whose premiums are already paid by Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income Americans, will not be eligible. Enrollees who pay additional premiums based on income will also be excluded.

At a campaign rally in Mobile, Alabama, on October 2, Trump repeated a promise to send a $5,000 "Trump dividend" to all adult U.S. citizens if Republicans keep their House and Senate majorities in the midterm elections. He cited tariff revenue and economic performance as the basis for the payments and said the money would have to be spent in the U.S.