Vance softens Trump's pledge of $5,000 payout if Republicans win midterms

At the Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention, held in Dallas, President Donald Trump used a nearly two-hour speech to promise that if Republicans hold onto the House and Senate, every adult American citizen would receive a $5,000 payment. Speaking after the president, Vice-President JD Vance appeared to partially row back the claim, suggesting the payment would not go to wealthy Americans and could be funded through US tariff revenue.

However, economic experts point out that the promised sum would far exceed actual tariff revenue collected by the US, particularly after the Supreme Court struck down much of the president's tariff program last year. Marc Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said Trump has no authority to send such payments without congressional approval, adding that the US runs roughly $2tn annual deficits and carries $40tn in debt, making claims of fiscal surplus "backwards and bordering on laughable." New Mexico attorney John Day, however, said the proposal would be legal since the payment would apply equally regardless of how or whether someone voted.

The speech and convention backdrop

During his address, Trump urged supporters to "pretend that I'm on the ballot" and claimed, without evidence, that his second term had been the most financially successful in presidential history, while warning of dire consequences should Democrats retake Congress. The convention took place as Trump's approval rating hovers around 38%, prompting several Republicans in competitive races — including senators Susan Collins and Dan Sullivan — to skip the event entirely. Democratic senator John Fetterman also made a surprise video appearance backing Republican senator Dave McCormick.