In a move that echoes the pronatalism movement amongst modern rightwingers, US President Donald Trump has recently solicited ideas for ways to entice Americans to have more children in response to a continued population decline. Said initiative represents an indication of the Trump administration’s support for a ‘new cultural agenda’ aimed at addressing falling birthrates and promoting traditional conservative family values.
Compensation For New Births
A report from The New York Times notes various suggestions on how to encourage Americans to have more babies.
One suggestion presented to aides involves allocating 30% of Fulbright program scholarships—the esteemed, government-funded international fellowship—to applicants who are married or have children.
Another proposal recommends offering every American mother a £3,768.82 ($5,000) cash “baby bonus” following childbirth.
A third idea urges the government to support initiatives that teach women about their menstrual cycles, partly to help them better understand their ovulation periods and fertility windows.
A Response to Population Crisis?
Lyman Stone, director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, has presented several policy proposals to Donald Trump and his team. He noted that the administration is currently ‘soliciting input.’
‘They’re still in the discussion phase regarding their direction,’ she recently stated, adding that no immediate policy announcements are expected from Trump. When asked by reporters, the president commented that the baby-focused proposal ‘sounds like a good idea to me.’
It is also worth noting that US Vice President JD Vance–during his time as Senator–has championed pronatalist policies, including a proposal to increase the child tax credit to £3,768.82 ($5,000) to alleviate the financial burden of raising children. He has warned of a looming ‘civilisational crisis’ in the US if the declining birthrate is not addressed.
‘In America, we’re seeing a collapse in family formation, birth rates, and other key family well-being indicators,’ Vance said in 2021. ‘The fact that we’re not having enough children is a national crisis.’
Other Examples Globally
Many governments worldwide are adopting pronatalist policies to combat declining birthrates and ageing populations. Hungary stands out with one of the most aggressive approaches, offering women with four or more children lifetime income tax exemptions and newlywed interest-free loans that are forgiven if they have three children.
Meanwhile, Singapore combines financial aid with long-term family support, providing up to SGD 10,000 cash bonuses per child and generous parental leave schemes.
Another country doing this is Sweden, which emphasises work-life balance with up to 480 days of parental leave per child and subsidised child care rather than direct financial incentives (OECD).
In Asia, South Korea, which has the world’s lowest fertility rate, offers monthly child allowances and free IVF treatments. Similarly, Japan supports parents with monthly child allowances and tuition-free preschool.
Why Pronatalism Is Gaining Traction
Pronatalism—the belief that societies should encourage childbirth—has gained traction among right-wing circles in the United States, where falling birthrates are increasingly framed as both an economic and cultural crisis.
Conservatives view the decline in family formation as a threat to national strength, traditional values, and societal continuity. For many on the right, promoting higher birth rates isn’t just about population growth; it’s about restoring a perceived moral order centred around marriage, family, and faith.
Moreover, this narrative has found a receptive audience among conservative policymakers and activists who see family decline as a consequence of liberal social norms, gender equality movements, and economic policies that disincentivise parenthood.
Some proposals also reflect concerns over immigration, with the belief that native-born population growth should be prioritised to preserve cultural identity. As such, pronatalism has become a rallying point that blends social conservatism with economic policy—positioning family expansion as a patriotic and moral imperative for the nation’s future.
