Trump recently added support to the concept of a DOGE Dividend stimulus check.
Trump’s New Interest In A DOGE Dividend Stimulus Check
Donald Trump loves putting his name on things – buildings, steaks, and even stimulus checks. Now, he’s added fuel to the idea of a $5,000 DOGE Dividend stimulus check to taxpayers, courtesy of the Department of Government Efficiency. At a speech in Miami on Wednesday, Trump said his administration is considering a plan to give 20% of DOGE’s savings back to the public.
“There’s even under consideration a new concept where we give 20 percent of the DOGE savings to American citizens,” Trump said. “The numbers are incredible, Elon, so many millions, billions, hundreds of billions.”
While budget experts are skeptical that DOGE will generate anything close to the $2 trillion in savings Musk has promised, the appeal of this idea to Trump is obvious. It hits two of his favorite themes: branding and sending out money.
A DOGE Dividend Has Appeal Because Trump Loves A Payout
This isn’t the first time Trump has embraced the idea of direct payments to Americans. During COVID-19, he insisted his name appear on stimulus checks, a move that was as much about optics as it was about policy, especially given that it likely slowed down the delivery of economic impact payments. Trump understands the power of being associated with money landing in people’s bank accounts. If a DOGE Dividend ever materialized, there’s a good chance it would have Trump’s name on it.
As The Washington Post commented back in 2020, “Trump has repeatedly called the [stimulus payment]
legislation ‘a Trump administration initiative’ and placed himself singularly at the center of what the government is doing to help Americans during the coronavirus response — taking full credit.” The stimulus “checks provide Trump with a new form of retail politics. A check provides a touchable, bread-and-butter symbol to taxpayers right in their mailboxes.”
Former President Biden didn’t follow Trump’s lead and came to regret it, saying it was “stupid” not to put his name on stimulus checks. “I signed the American Rescue Plan, the most significant economic recovery package in our history, and also learned something from Donald Trump,” Biden said at the end of 2024 during a speech at the Brookings Institute, a Washington-based think tank. “He signed checks for people for 7,400 bucks … and I didn’t. Stupid.”
Telling voters they’ll get a check especially framed as a direct benefit of Trump’s cost-cutting is a powerful message. Whether the savings exist or not is almost besides the point; the headline alone grabs attention.
The Branding Game For DOGE Dividend
Trump has always had strong marketing instincts. The concept of a DOGE Dividend has the alliteration and buzz to make it a campaign talking point, even if it never materializes. The plan was originally proposed by James Fishback, but Trump’s comments will undoubtedly increase the spotlight on it. By tying himself to the idea, he keeps the conversation focused on his financial savvy and his administration’s effort to cut costs.
Of course, the reality is more complicated. As Jessica Riedl from the Manhattan Institute pointed out to The Washington Post, DOGE has only saved about $4 billion so far. That’s a rounding error in the federal budget. But for Trump, the numbers may matter less than the branding and the ability to tell Americans, “I’m giving you money.”
DOGE Dividend: A Political Winner For Trump
Trump knows that telling voters they could get a $5,000 DOGE Dividend sounds great, whether or not it ever happens. Just like his past business ventures, the pitch is often as important than the execution. Ultimately, the ability to send another stimulus check with his name on it to millions of Americans may prove hard to resist for Trump.