Trump proposes $5,000 “Trump dividend” at Republican midterm convention

Dallas, United States. President Donald Trump proposed paying every U.S. adult a $5,000 “Trump dividend” if Republicans win November’s congressional elections, during the first day of the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention.

The proposal came in a nearly two-hour primetime speech that put Trump at the centre of the midterm campaign, despite opinion polls showing his approval ratings at an all-time low.

Convention programme

Vice President JD Vance is due to deliver the keynote address on Thursday night, while Trump is scheduled to make closing remarks at the end of the two-day, television-focused event in Dallas.

Trump is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term. Vance’s speech could serve as an early audition for the 2028 presidential election and offer indications of how he would lead a party reshaped by Trump.

Dividend proposal

It was not immediately clear how the proposed $5,000 payments would work or whether they would be legal. With approximately 270 million U.S. adults, the plan would likely cost more than $1 trillion and could require congressional approval.

Some Republicans have called the convention “Trumpapalooza.” The focus on Trump is a bet that he can mobilise the voters who carried him to the presidency two years ago, despite his declining popularity.

Midterm campaign

It remains unclear whether Trump’s campaign-style speech will appeal to swing voters who have moved away from the Republican Party amid growing dissatisfaction over the cost of living and the war on Iran.

“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump said.

Republican efforts received support on Wednesday from Democratic U.S. Senator John Fetterman, who appeared in a pre-recorded video introducing his “great friend,” Republican Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick.