Trump Pledges $5,000 'Dividend' to Every Adult if Republicans Hold Congress

President Donald Trump told a Dallas audience on Wednesday that he would pay every American adult a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans keep control of Congress in November's midterm elections, a proposal whose mechanics and legality were left unexplained. With roughly 270 million U.S. adults, such a payout would carry a price tag of about $1.35 trillion.

The offer came during his primetime address at the Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention, a two-day gathering that party officials have informally nicknamed "Trumpapalooza." Trump used the speech to claim the past two years amounted to "the greatest two years in the history of the presidency," placing himself at the center of a campaign he is not formally contesting.

"I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot," he said, vowing repeated trips to battleground states and districts before Election Day on November 3.

A risky bet on the base

The convention reflects how closely Republican fortunes are tied to Trump, even as public polling shows his approval at an all-time low and swing voters drifting away amid discontent over the cost of living and the war with Iran. Party leaders hope the event will lift turnout among Republicans, who polls suggest are less enthusiastic about voting than Democrats.

That calculation has created awkward choices for candidates in tight races. Several stayed away, including Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan, Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Senator Susan Collins of Maine, all of whom face strong Democratic challengers. At least 16 candidates in competitive House and Senate contests were scheduled to speak, among them Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, locked in a Senate race against Democrat James Talarico, and Ohio Senator Jon Husted, who faces former Senator Sherrod Brown.

Trump insisted the 21,000-seat arena was "packed," though the upper tiers remained largely empty during his address. The event also competed for viewers with the opening night of the NFL season.

Attacks on Democrats, light on voter priorities

While organizers billed the convention as a showcase for Trump's policies, early speakers spent much of their time branding Democrats as extreme. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, who chairs the party's Senate campaign arm, called them "dangerous, radical and weird," and others used the labels "socialists" and "communists."

Issues that voters consistently rank as top concerns — the Iran war and the cost of living — drew comparatively little attention. Trump defended his decision to strike Tehran, saying he acted to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and promised oil prices would fall "as soon as we win the war with Iran," which he said would be soon. More than six months after U.S. and Israeli strikes began, the conflict shows little sign of ending, and analysts say Iran's nuclear program has not been eliminated. Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon.

Alabama state Representative Ernie Yarbrough, attending the convention, said the president needs to give voters a clearer sense of how long the war might last and what the administration is trying to achieve. "People want to feel like we're not getting stuck in an endless cycle," he said.

Fetterman video surprises attendees

Wednesday's program included a pretaped video from Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who introduced his Republican colleague Dave McCormick as his "great friend" and said he would work with Trump to protect the state's steel industry. Fetterman, who has increasingly clashed with the left wing of his party, has denied speculation that he might leave the Democrats.

Vice President JD Vance is due to deliver the keynote address on Thursday, with Trump returning for the closing remarks. With less than two months to go, Republicans face the prospect of losing at least one chamber of Congress.