Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told NBC News that “it’s not tax money” when asked how President Trump’s $5,000 dividend would be funded, saying the administration could “earn the money” through other revenue sources — howard lutnick trump dividend funding.
Lutnick named two possible revenue streams in the NBC News interview: a Commerce Department “Trump Platinum Card” visa program that would charge wealthy foreigners $5 million for a 270-day visa extension, and unrealized gains on Intel stock the government bought with CHIPS Act funds, Quartz reported and NBC News confirmed.
NBC News reported Lutnick spoke at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and said the Platinum Card waitlist totaled “more than 100,000 people who want to come,” which he calculated as roughly $500 billion in potential revenue. NBC also noted the administration paid about $8.9 billion from CHIPS Act funds for an Intel stake and has not sold the shares, so the roughly $50 billion gain is on paper.
Those revenue claims contrast with independent cost estimates. Quartz and NBC referenced an initial price tag near $1.3 trillion for the $5,000 payout, and sources cited by those outlets say existing tariff collections would not cover the plan, making the accounting complicated.
Legal and political questions followed the proposal after Trump unveiled it at the Republican midterm convention. NBC and Quartz reported critics called attaching cash to an electoral outcome a “political bribe,” while law scholars quoted in Quartz offered differing views on whether such a pledge crosses legal lines.
The administration would need congressional approval or an alternative legislative vehicle before any checks could be distributed, NBC reported, and economists told NBC that one-off revenue ideas like fee programs or unrealized investment gains are unlikely to fully close a multitrillion-dollar funding gap.
For background on the campaign pledge and Lutnick’s recent travel, see Midterm elections 2026: Trump pitches $5,000 ‘Trump dividend’ to voters and Howard Lutnick heads to Mexico, Politico reports.
Sources
- NBC News — interview transcript and reporting that recorded Lutnick saying “It’s not tax money,” cited the Trump Platinum Card waitlist and the government’s Intel shareholdings.
- Quartz — explained Lutnick’s suggested revenue streams (visa fees and unrealized Intel gains) and noted the $1.3 trillion cost estimate and legal commentary.
