'Trump Dividend': $5,000 Promise, a Trillion-Dollar Funding Gap and a Months-Long Iran War Without Resolution

Dallas — According to AFP, U.S. President Trump on the 9th made a stunning promise to supporters at a Republican midterm election event in Dallas: if the GOP retains control of both chambers of Congress in the November 3 midterm elections, every American adult will receive $5,000, dubbed the "Trump Dividend."

"If the Republicans win, you win too — $5,000 per person. This will be called the 'Trump Dividend,'" Trump told attendees at the American Airlines Center. The theoretical scale of this expenditure exceeds $1 trillion, but he did not specify a funding source, brushing it off with the line that "our country is making a fortune."

Polls show Trump's approval rating hovering around 30%, and voters are increasingly voicing dissatisfaction with the high cost of food and housing, as well as the war against Iran he launched months ago. Decision Desk HQ's forecast model projects that Democrats will take the House 230 to 205 and capture the Senate 51 to 49.

Faced with unfavorable electoral prospects, Trump made an unusual request: "Pretend I'm on the ballot." He then added, "I am on the ballot — just this once." The two-night gathering has been called the first Republican National Convention held specifically for a midterm election in American political history — with no candidate nominations and no formal party business, it was in essence a political mobilization spectacle centered on the president's personal ability to rally supporters.

Even more alarming, Trump mounted a full-throated defense of the unpopular Iran war in his speech, predicted that the U.S. side would "win" the war, and tied it directly to falling oil prices — then followed with an ambitious proposal: to rename the Strait of Hormuz, a global strategic chokepoint for oil shipping, after himself. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway; affixing the sitting president's personal name to this public channel is itself a footnote on this administration's attitude toward international rules and public resources.

"Food prices and almost everything else are coming down fast. By the way, when we win the war against Iran — the war is underway — oil prices will come down too," Trump said.

He also echoed the "communism" threat rhetoric voiced by other Republicans at the event. "If they win, this country will become a communist country," he said. This rhetoric, which places domestic political opponents alongside overseas military operations, constitutes the core tension of this administration's political narrative: on one hand, blaming opponents for inflation and the costs of war; on the other, refusing to provide any funding explanation for that war and the trillion-dollar "dividend."

Inside the venue, Trump posters, sequined jackets and peaked caps emblazoned with his name and the Stars and Stripes were everywhere; food stalls hawked snacks at premium prices, and merchandise stalls featured the Trump family's new book "Under Siege," published under the byline of his younger son Eric. Notably, Democratic Senator John Fetterman addressed the convention via video — a figure known for increasingly distancing himself from his party's left wing over issues such as his hardline support for Israel. This interlude reveals the bipartisan tacit understanding between the two parties on Middle East policy, as well as the political foundation that has allowed this administration's foreign military operations to continue. Tracey Wroblski, a 59-year-old Dallas local, told AFP that Trump was "firing on all cylinders" and the message was "exciting."

Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to deliver the keynote address the following day, with cabinet members, Senate and House leadership, and candidates in key districts taking the stage in turn.