Donald Trump doubled down on his pledge to pay all US adults $5,000 if Republicans hold on to control of Congress in the midterm elections. He’s one of the few people to actually mention the pledge tonight, as many lawmakers and officials – including his vice-president, JD Vance – avoided mentioning the so-called “dividend” altogether. Trump defended his plan: “We can do that because our country has never done better. We’re taking in trillions, trillions of dollars.”
In a shorter address to voters than his nearly two-hour speech on Wednesday, Trump again pleaded with voters to “pretend I’m on the ticket” in November. In an improvised pledge of allegiance to himself, Trump directed the audience to commit to voting in the midterm elections at all costs. The president asked Republicans in the arena to repeat: “I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try. And cheat like hell like they do.” Trump also told those gathered in Dallas that they would “go to hell” if they didn’t vote.
Earlier, JD Vance urged Republicans who may oppose parts of the Trump administration’s agenda not to abandon the party in November’s congressional races. The vice-president pointed to Charlie Kirk – the conservative activist killed a year ago today – to argue that voters shouldn’t “throw the baby out with the bathwater” over “a policy issue here or there”, an apparent nod to dissent over the Iran war that he avoided naming.
Vance’s speech, in many ways, was an audition for a possible 2028 presidential run. He spent much of his time on stage setting out the threats of the so-called “far left”, listing the administration’s greatest hits and slamming Joe Biden’s tenure in office.
Other cabinet officials and Trump allies addressed the crowd at the hastily organized convention in Dallas. Throughout the night we heard from health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who said the “irony” of his “presence here is inescapable” – a former Democrat from a political dynasty. “I mourn the fact that neither my father nor my uncle would recognize the Democratic party of today,” Kennedy said. Meanwhile, Karoline Leavitt, the former White House secretary, said it felt “much better speaking to a stadium full of patriots than a briefing room full of journalists”.
Meanwhile, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the arena to protest Trump’s policy agenda. Dallas police said that two people were taken into custody after an alleged assault involving a counter-protester and for blocking a roadway.
Also today, Trump said that he doesn’t think that Congress would need to approve the $5,000 checks that he wants to cut should Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in November. “The country is doing so well, we’ve taken in trillions of dollars in tariffs and other things,” the president said in an interview with CBS News – inflating the revenue generated from the duties he’s implemented. However, any money generated from tariffs is deposited to the US treasury, and then allocated by Congress through legislation.
Once again, the president tried to assuage the shock of oil prices increasing to more than $100 a barrel amid renewed hostilities with Iran.
“The prices will go back to where they were,” he insisted. “The prices will go down to less than $2 a gallon for oil … I’m pretty sure. I’m pretty good at it.”
A reminder that the average price for a gallon of gas is more than a dollar higher than before the war with Iran started in February.
Trump also continued to praise JD Vance’s performance at the convention.
“I think he did very well tonight, and he’s a very talented guy. He’s a great been a great vice-president. I think he did a very good job,” Trump said.
Ahead of flying back to Washington, Trump told reporters on the tarmac that he isn’t pledging the $5,000 checks for every US adult to turn out the vote.
“I did it as a reward,” he said, for “four years of horrible, a horrible situation caused by Biden”.
Trump reiterated that the money, estimated to be well over $1tn, will come from tariff revenues and global investments.
“We have growth like no country has ever seen before. We have trillions of dollars coming in, and that will end up being not a very big problem at all. And I think our people deserve it,” he said.
Here are a few pictures as the second day of the GOP midterm convention wrapped up. The press pool notes that Donald Trump has now boarded his flight from Dallas, back to Washington.
Donald Trump doubled down on his pledge to pay all US adults $5,000 if Republicans hold on to control of Congress in the midterm elections. He’s one of the few people to actually mention the pledge tonight, as many lawmakers and officials – including his vice-president, JD Vance – avoided mentioning the so-called “dividend” altogether. Trump defended his plan: “We can do that because our country has never done better. We’re taking in trillions, trillions of dollars.”
In a shorter address to voters than his nearly two-hour speech on Wednesday, Trump again pleaded with voters to “pretend I’m on the ticket” in November. In an improvised pledge of allegiance to himself, Trump directed the audience to commit to voting in the midterm elections at all costs. The president asked Republicans in the arena to repeat: “I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try. And cheat like hell like they do.” Trump also told those gathered in Dallas that they would “go to hell” if they didn’t vote.
Earlier, JD Vance urged Republicans who may oppose parts of the Trump administration’s agenda not to abandon the party in November’s congressional races. The vice-president pointed to Charlie Kirk – the conservative activist killed a year ago today – to argue that voters shouldn’t “throw the baby out with the bathwater” over “a policy issue here or there”, an apparent nod to dissent over the Iran war that he avoided naming.
Vance’s speech, in many ways, was an audition for a possible 2028 presidential run. He spent much of his time on stage setting out the threats of the so-called “far left”, listing the administration’s greatest hits and slamming Joe Biden’s tenure in office.
Other cabinet officials and Trump allies addressed the crowd at the hastily organized convention in Dallas. Throughout the night we heard from health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who said the “irony” of his “presence here is inescapable” – a former Democrat from a political dynasty. “I mourn the fact that neither my father nor my uncle would recognize the Democratic party of today,” Kennedy said. Meanwhile, Karoline Leavitt, the former White House secretary, said it felt “much better speaking to a stadium full of patriots than a briefing room full of journalists”.
Meanwhile, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the arena to protest Trump’s policy agenda. Dallas police said that two people were taken into custody after an alleged assault involving a counter-protester and for blocking a roadway.
Also today, Trump said that he doesn’t think that Congress would need to approve the $5,000 checks that he wants to cut should Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in November. “The country is doing so well, we’ve taken in trillions of dollars in tariffs and other things,” the president said in an interview with CBS News – inflating the revenue generated from the duties he’s implemented. However, any money generated from tariffs is deposited to the US treasury, and then allocated by Congress through legislation.
Earlier, we reported that Joseph diGenova, the longtime Trump loyalist hired in April to pursue the “grand conspiracy” charges against the president’s perceived enemies such as former CIA director John Brennan, resigned today.
I called diGenova and he said pointedly that “sometimes people want things done faster and that’s all you can do”. He appeared to be referring to concerns among other Trump loyalists that Trump’s retribution cases weren’t moving quickly enough.
“The bottom line is it takes a long time to make good cases, and you simply have to work at it. And, you know, sometimes people want things done faster, and that’s all you can do. All you can do is do the best you can under the circumstances,” diGenova added.
Retribution by the justice department against Trump’s perceived adversaries has been one of the president’s highest priorities. Though diGenova’s comments to the Guardian clearly hint at dissent and disagreement inside the justice department over the cases, he declined to spell out exactly why he quit.
“I’m not going to make any comments about indictments or anything else. When you’ve been a prosecutor as long as I have. You know how to make cases, and it takes time. And that’s just part of the process. And sometimes that works out, and sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.
During the first Trump administration, diGenova was a legal adviser to far-right journalist John Solomon, who has played an official role in White House efforts to push the conspiracy allegations.
Trump’s energy for talking about politics appears to have waned.
“I’ve been doing this now for seven days straight. I want a little music, if you don’t mind,” Trump said, while introducing opera singer Christopher Macchio.
In an improvised pledge of allegiance to himself, Trump directed the audience to commit to voting in the midterm elections at all costs.
The president asked Republicans in the arena to repeat: “I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try. And cheat like hell like they do.”
Trump added: “You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell.”
Trump said that voters have to do “the biggest favor you’ve ever done me” and “pretend I’m on the ticket”.
“In a way I am on the ballot,” the president said, despite the fact that many Republicans in battleground states might actually be hampered by yolking themselves to the Trump administration, amid record low approval ratings.
Trump acknowledged that when he’s on the ticket “everybody comes to vote”, but it is still crucial to vote for Republicans in races across the country.
He urged Republicans to turn out and vote for Ken Paxton, the GOP nominee for US Senate in Texas. Once again, Trump took digs at Paxton’s appearance, and even revealed that many advisers pleaded with him to not offer comment.
“I don’t really like the way he looks, I don’t like it,” Trump said. “But you know what I do like? He was the greatest attorney general in the history of Texas.”
The president just mentioned the $5,000 for all US adults he has promised if Republicans win the midterm elections. He’s one of the few people to actually mention the pledge on stage tonight.
“We can do that because our country has never done better. We’re taking in trillions, trillions of dollars,” Trump said.
The major legal question of whether this “dividend” actually violates federal law still remains.
As he runs through what he sees as his main achievements, Trump repeats his false claim that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has delivered the “largest tax cuts in American history”.
This isn’t true. In fact, these tax cuts aren’t actually in the top five in US history.
Trump praised Vance for his performance on stage, and repeated claims that the venue is “packed” again.
He said he would be “a little bit brief” in his remarks because of his nearly two-hour speech last night.
“I don’t feel like going over the same material again,” the president said.
Donald Trump is, again, walking on stage to a second live performance of God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood.
Source: US Politics - theguardian.com
