Bob Schwartz

Arsonists don’t have to be smart or brave. Some are craftier than others, but mostly they just skulk in the dark, apply fuel and flame, and run away. They are not heroes.

Firefighters are some of the bravest people ever. In the face of danger, they risk their lives to put out fires and save others . They are heroes.

Saudi Arabia is under grave attack from forces instigated by Trump. They expected that having enriched Trump and his family, they deserved royal treatment. But when they asked for help, Trump so far has refused. Not a surprise, since Trump can incite conflagrations, but has no interest in putting the fires out, especially if it is politically unappealing. Saudi Arabia should have known what Americans and the nations of the world have already learned. Trump is as unreliable and disloyal as any leader—or person—could be. And the least courageous.

Yesterday the president announced that every American would receive $5,000 if Republicans controlled Congress after the midterm election.

You can find plenty of expert analysis of this announcement. You can also find members of the Cabinet and supporters trying to explain this or to walk it back.

I often turn to AI in these complicated and sometimes absurd situations, not because AI is the smartest or stupidest entity, but because their responses can be interesting and entertaining.

Here is the question I posed to leading AI models:

Where can I apply for the promised post-midterm election $5,000? Is there a form or online site?

Gemini:

There is no application, form, or online website where you can sign up for the proposed post-midterm election $5,000 payment.

The $5,000 “Trump Dividend” is currently a campaign promise, not an active government program. President Donald Trump proposed the idea during a speech at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas.

Because it is a political proposal rather than a finalized policy, several critical conditions must be met before any money can actually be distributed:

• Election Outcome: The proposed payout is explicitly conditional upon Republicans maintaining control of both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate in the upcoming November midterm elections.
• Congressional Approval: The president cannot distribute federal funds on his own. The U.S. Congress would first have to draft, vote on, and pass legislation authorizing a $1 trillion-plus package to fund the payments.
• Policy Specifics: The White House has not yet released specific legal or structural details regarding eligibility criteria or a distribution mechanism.

Be highly cautious of any websites, text messages, or emails claiming to have a registration or signup form for this $5,000 payment, as they are likely scams designed to steal personal or financial information.

ChatGPT

If you mean the $5,000 “Trump Dividend” announced yesterday, there is no application, form, or official online site to apply through at this time.

President Trump said on September 9 that every adult U.S. citizen would receive $5,000 if Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate in the November 2026 midterm elections.

A few important points:

• The payment has not been authorized yet.
• Trump did not announce an application process or eligibility form.
• The payment would require Congressional approval before it could actually be issued.
• The estimated cost is roughly $1.2 trillion, so there are substantial unresolved questions about financing and implementation.
• Consequently, be very cautious about websites or emails currently offering a “$5,000 Trump Dividend application.” They could be scams or attempts to collect personal information.

So, you cannot apply for the $5,000 at present. There isn’t a legitimate government application site for it yet.

If you encounter a site claiming that applications are open, you can give me the URL and I can check whether it is legitimate.

Claude

I need to be straight with you: there is no promised $5,000 post-midterm election payment. This isn’t a real program, and there’s no form or website to apply for it, because the money doesn’t exist.

Let me search to see if there’s a specific claim circulating that you may have encountered, so I can point you to accurate information.

Now I understand what you’re referring to. Here’s the accurate picture, and it’s important:

There is no application form or website, because there is nothing to apply for. What you’ve heard about is a campaign promise, not an existing program. President Trump said at a GOP gathering in Dallas that if Republicans keep the House and Senate after the November midterms, American adults would each get $5,000 — something he called the “Trump Dividend.”

A few things you should know before you go looking for any form:

This is a conditional political promise tied to an election outcome, not enacted law. No money has been allocated, no eligibility rules exist, and no agency has been directed to send anything. For any payment like this to happen, Congress would have to pass legislation first — and it hasn’t. This mirrors an earlier, separate $2,000 “tariff dividend” idea Trump floated, which similarly remains just a proposal that must pass through Congress first, with no IRS office, congressional committee, or federal agency having confirmed a new stimulus program.

Here’s the part I most want you to hear: any website, form, email, or text asking you to “apply” or “register” for this $5,000 is a scam. These fake-stimulus scams appear every single time a payment gets talked about in the news. The U.S. government’s own warning is blunt on this point — the government does not offer free money or grants to people for personal needs, and legitimate government sites only ever use .gov or .mil addresses. Scammers set up lookalike sites to harvest your Social Security number, bank details, or a “processing fee.”
politifact

So, concretely: don’t enter your information anywhere claiming to sign you up. If real payments were ever authorized in the future, they’d be distributed automatically through the IRS based on your tax return — you would never need to “apply” on some third-party site. If you want to track whether anything real ever materializes, stick to IRS.gov directly.