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<\/p>\nDonald Trump has promised to give $US5,000 (about $6,900) to every American adult if Republicans retain control of Congress after the midterm elections.<\/p>\n
The US president made the pledge during a speech at his party’s unusual midterms convention, where he told supporters to “pretend that I am on the ballot” for the elections in November.<\/p>\n
Republicans have slim majorities in the two chambers of the US Congress, but polls suggest Democrats could take control of both.<\/p>\n
Mr Trump’s payout promise was part of a lengthy address in which he portrayed himself as the saviour of the country and urged voters to “let us finish the job”.<\/p>\n
“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” he told the cheering crowd, though he did not say how the money would be paid or where it would come from.<\/p>\n
“It will be called the Trump dividend.”<\/p>\n
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Donald Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes on the first night of the Republican National Midterm Convention. (Reuters: Callaghan O’Hare)<\/p>\n
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The convention aims to rally the Republican base and party donors ahead of the midterms. (Reuters: Evan Vucci)<\/p>\n
There are about 260 million adults in the US, so such a payout to all of them would total about $US1.3 trillion. The national debt in the US recently surpassed $US40 trillion.<\/p>\n
Mr Trump’s address came at the end of a series of hype speeches that pumped up his accomplishments and portrayed Democrats as “crazy”, “communist” and “dangerous”.<\/p>\n
Earlier, US Democrat senator John Fetterman joined the pile-on in a surprise video appearance, endorsing a Republican and distancing himself from his party’s progressive wing.<\/p>\n
Mr Fetterman, who has increasingly been seen by his party colleagues as a rogue unit in recent years, called himself a “common-sense Democrat” who would always “reject the extremes and socialism”.<\/p>\n
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John Fetterman described himself as a “common-sense Democrat” in a video message at the Republican convention. (Reuters: Brian Snyder)<\/p>\n
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The event is being held in Texas, a critical state for the upcoming midterm elections.<\/p>\n
\u00a0 (Reuters: Callaghan O’Hare)<\/p>\n
His video was used to introduce fellow Pennsylvania senator Dave McCormick to the stage, who Mr Fetterman described as a friend.<\/p>\n
It further highlighted the divide between traditional “establishment” or “moderate” Democrats and the ascendant left wing of the party, including New York mayor Zohran Mamdani, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and prominent Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.<\/p>\n
Republicans used the first day of the Dallas convention to capitalise on the divide, highlighting and frequently exaggerating the policies and positions of Democratic Socialists and the party in general.<\/p>\n
Key themes in speeches and videos included transgender participation in sport, crime attributed to unauthorised migrants, and the previous Biden administration’s failure to control crossings at the US-Mexico border.<\/p>\n