New Delhi: Indians quickly found a familiar political trope in the US President Donald Trump’s latest election promise — a ‘Trump dividend’ of $5,000 for every American adult if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in November’s midterm elections.
Indians turned Trump’s pledge into a meme fest on the lines of pre-poll direct cash transfer schemes promised by Indian politicians every election season: ‘Ladla Ameriki Scheme’, ‘Ladla Adult Yojana’ and more.
Trump’s proposal is being widely viewed as a desperate attempt to woo voters ahead of the midterms. It will reportedly cost over $1 trillion, which is approximately 3 per cent of the US GDP.
America’s Yojna
While there is yet no clarity on how the scheme will be implemented, Trump’s move is seen as a way to get back the voters, who have drifted from the Republican Party because of the prolonged war on Iran and the increase in cost of living.
A user posted on X a morphed photo of Trump taking notes from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
https://t.co/tx93hMUifw pic.twitter.com/dWaAjn5QTW
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) September 10, 2026
Another user took a dig at the proposal by coming up with Indian names for Trump’s dividend.
Sandeep Manudhane described it “Laadla Ameriki scheme launched;”
"Laadla Ameriki" scheme launched.pic.twitter.com/YooWSEgNqg
— Sandeep Manudhane (@sandeep_PT) September 10, 2026
Several users expressed their disappointment with Trump’s move. A user posted on X, “Though Republicans hated socialism, I always thought the U.S. was the best country. Now it’s going to be like India. Sad.”
Meanwhile, a few users even said that Trump was following Modi’s playbook.
Trump following Modi with ladla Amreecan yojna.. pic.twitter.com/qVCZvcQBdY
— 🪔 🔸 VT 🔸 🪔 (@CzarVT) September 10, 2026
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)