DALLAS — US President Donald Trump capped Wednesday’s opening night of the Republican midterm convention by attacking Democrats as extremists and staunchly defending the unpopular war in Iran while making the extraordinary pledge to pay every adult American $5,000 if his party retains its control of both chambers of Congress after November.Trump reveled in making the upcoming elections all about himself, even though it’s unclear whether that will help or hurt his party.Many Republicans are skipping the two-day affair in Dallas, while others hoped their appearance would put them in the national spotlight as they work to turn out Trump’s supporters in a year without him on the ballot.During a long speech, Trump strongly defended the Iran war, predicting victory and linking it directly to lower oil prices — before suggesting the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz should be renamed after him.”Food prices and almost every other item are rapidly going down. And by the way, oil will be going down as soon as we win the war with Iran, which is taking place right now,” Trump said.But Trump appeared to acknowledge the war had taken a toll on the US economy.”We were doing great,” he said, before turning to his economic advisers and telling them, “I hate to do this to you.” He then explained that he had felt compelled to launch the conflict because Iran was perhaps “two, maybe three weeks away from having a nuclear weapon.”Trump also echoed other Republicans at the convention, stirring up what he said was a wave of communism threatening the United States.”It’s going to be a communist country if they win,” he warned.”Your vote will decide whether our country stumbles at the starting gate of the next 250 years or surges forward and never ever looks back,” he said.Trump is betting on an extraordinary promise to shore up his party’s fortunes ahead of the November midterm elections: If Republicans keep control of the House and Senate, every American adult will receive cash.”So if the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000. It will be called the Trump dividend,” Trump told Republicans in Texas, as the party struggles in polls against the Democrats.Within an hour, Vice President JD Vance appeared to try to walk back Trump’s proposal by suggesting the dividend payments would not go to the wealthy. Vance suggested it could be paid for by US tariff revenues, though the suggested payment dwarfs what the US has taken in through the protectionist measures.The proposal, which could cost at least $1 trillion, was financially and politically implausible. But it reflected Trump’s apparent calculation that he needs bold moves to revive Republicans’ chances as Democrats try to take advantage of his low approval ratings in close races across the country.The sum would far exceed US tariff revenues even before the Supreme Court tossed much of the president’s tariff program last year. He did not say where the money would come from, citing only that “our country is making so much money.”The national debt last month topped $40 trillion for the first time.Doubling down on his bet that he can help Republicans defy opinion polls and retain both houses of Congress on 3 November, Trump said: “I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot.””I’m on the ballot, I’m on the ballot — just one more time,” he told the crowd.Opinion polls overwhelmingly show that Trump’s approval ratings are in the low 30s, as voters become increasingly angry about high prices and the war he launched against Iran.Trump has frequently lamented that, during the modern era, the president’s party almost always loses seats in Congress during the midterms, and he has looked for unorthodox ways to defy the trend, including this week’s convention.”We’re going to change that,” Trump said. “There’s no reason for it.”
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