President Donald Trump's pledge to send $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans retain control of Congress is being met with widespread disbelief, according to new polling that shows skepticism reaching into his own party.

Earlier this month, at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Trump said every adult U.S. citizen would receive a $5,000 "dividend" if the GOP holds both the House and the Senate in November, a promise that has drawn concerns about voter-buying. Yet a survey conducted by Strength In Numbers and Verasight from September 16 to 21 — roughly six weeks before the Nov. 3 vote — found that only 13 percent of adults believe the president actually intends to send the money. Sixty-two percent of respondents said they viewed the promise primarily as a ploy to win votes.

The poll also found that 71 percent of adults consider it inappropriate for a president to make a financial promise contingent on his party's election victory — a view shared by 53 percent of Republicans, a finding that cuts against the promise's own premise, since the checks were offered only if the GOP holds the House and the Senate. Roughly a quarter of respondents said they believed the checks would actually be issued if Republicans won.

Support for the payment shifted considerably depending on how the proposal was framed. When respondents were asked about $5,000 payments with no mention of Trump or any election condition, 53 percent backed the idea and 35 percent opposed it. But when told the money would be sent only if Republicans won the election, support dropped to 35 percent, while 54 percent opposed it.

Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte highlighted the findings in a recent report, writing that Trump's latest effort to court voters with his record is encountering growing skepticism, even among those who previously supported him. "The president has perhaps the most staggering track record of defrauding Americans of any hustler in the country's 250-year history," she wrote, citing his 34 felony fraud convictions and civil fraud cases.

Her article referenced reporting from The Bulwark documenting Trump's long list of unfulfilled cash-incentive promises, including the $5,000 DOGE dividend — the same figure as the pledge now under scrutiny — the $2,000 tariff-rebate stimulus checks, and the $500 Obamacare rebate checks.

Trump has continued to praise the economy. At a press conference on Monday, he said the United States has "the best economy we've ever had" and told reporters their 401(k) accounts had doubled.

"You're twice as wealthy as you were short time ago, every one of you," Trump said. "And that's because of me."

His administration has publicly defended taxpayer-funded television advertisements that promote Trump and his policies. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota criticized the spending, saying it "shouldn't be paid for with taxpayer money."

The $5,000 promise now offers another test of whether Trump's message is resonating with voters ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms. The polling suggests the payment itself is more popular than the election condition he attached to it.