Trump Accused Of Bribery Over $5,000 Pledge To Voters

US President Donald Trump has drawn accusations of bribery after promising every adult American a $5,000 payout if Republicans hold onto Congress in November, a pledge that would cost over $1 trillion and has already sparked backlash over its price tag and motives.

Speaking for nearly two hours at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, Trump urged supporters to campaign as if his own name were on the ballot this cycle.

“If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000,” Trump told the crowd, unveiling the proposal that critics say amounts to an attempt to buy votes.

Much of the address was devoted to attacking Democrats and warning of dire consequences should the GOP lose its congressional majority.

Trump claimed, without offering supporting evidence, that his second term had been “the most successful two years, financially and every other way, in the history of the presidency.”

He went further, declaring, “There is a crazy little sick cloud over our country,” and adding, “We will defeat communism in America.”

This marked the first-ever midterm convention staged by the Republican Party.

It comes as the GOP tries to buck a historical trend in which the party occupying the White House typically struggles in midterm contests.

Trump conceded the pattern exists but insisted his party could break it.

“We’ve got to change that, because we have something going that’s so good,” he said.

He painted a grim picture of what a Democratic-controlled Congress would mean for the country, warning:

“If we lose, you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose your safety and security, you’re going to lose your wealth.

“Our country is going through hell, we will be going through hell, just like we did, just two years ago.”

His approval rating currently sits around 38 percent, and notably, several Republicans running in tightly contested races skipped the two-day gathering altogether.

Related: US Vs Iran: Trump Threatens To Bomb Oman

Despite that, Trump positioned himself as the driving force behind the party’s midterm push, repeatedly telling the crowd to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” and later to “please pretend that I’m running.”

He also stood by the US military action against Iran, cautioning Tehran “not to get cute” or risk the US having “to hit them very hard.”

Addressing the economic fallout from higher oil prices, Trump recounted telling his economic team that military intervention was necessary because Iran was, in his words, “two, maybe three weeks away from having a nuclear weapon.”

“I hate to do this to you,” he recalled telling his advisers, while pointing out the economy had been strong before the conflict began.

Turnout at the Dallas event appeared thinner than the party’s traditional four-day convention held in Milwaukee two years prior, with visibly empty seats during Trump’s remarks.

Trump nonetheless insisted the venue was at capacity, claiming, “Not only is this packed but you have an equal number of people standing outside,” a claim reporters on the ground said they could not verify, noting no matching crowd was seen outside.

Adding to the scrutiny, the Republican National Committee had earlier said tickets would be distributed through a lottery system, yet applications submitted through the RNC’s registration page were reportedly being approved instantly while the convention was already underway.

Trump used the platform to rally support for Republican candidates as well, notably Texas Senate hopeful Ken Paxton, whom he had endorsed over incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the primary.

Of Paxton, Trump said, “He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen. But you know what he is? He’s the greatest attorney general in America.”

Several Democrats came under fire during the speech, including Paxton’s rival James Talarico, whom Trump called a “weird looking dude.”

He also took aim at former North Carolina governor Roy Cooper, now a Senate candidate, and Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin fired back, dismissing the event as a “bizarre dog-and-pony show” meant to soothe Trump’s “fragile ego.”

He added, “Tonight only confirmed that the president is a lame duck failure who is dragging his party toward defeat.”

The convention runs roughly 12 hours of programming over two nights, featuring Trump allies, candidates, and administration figures.

Among those who took the stage were Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, Mehmet Oz, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, while UFC fighters Bo Nickal and Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje handled Trump’s introduction.

Gaethje drew on his own athletic career to warn against complacency heading into the midterms.

“One mistake I’ve made in my career was becoming complacent while I was on a winning streak and forgetting how unforgiving my sport would be,” Gaethje said.

“If we are not just as passionate about voting and winning in these midterms as we were in the last presidential election, then we risk being knocked out and losing all the momentum we have been fighting for.”

Party organizers had framed the convention’s focus as “lowering costs, securing our border, making our communities safer, and putting American workers and families first,” though speakers spent considerable time targeting Democrats over issues like transgender rights. Trump is set to speak again on Thursday, though he indicated his second appearance would be much briefer.

He wrapped up Wednesday’s remarks by telling the crowd, “I gave you a lot of material,” before once more urging them to “please pretend that I’m running.”