Trump defends Iran war, slams Democrats and promises cash at Republicans’ midterm convention

DALLAS (AP) — President Donald Trump capped Wednesday’s opening night of the unusual Republican midterm convention by slamming Democrats as extremists and staunchly defending the 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.

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.

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.

“If we hand America’s future to the radical-left Democrats, our nation will spend the next decade just getting back on its feet,” Trump said. “Vote Republican and we will leave the world in our dust for generations to come.”

The president urged the crowd to pretend he’s running in November and said there were about 35 key races in the Senate and House as his party hopes to maintain congressional control. He pledged “to go to everyone one of those states,” suggesting he might visit some repeatedly.

But Trump also frequently mentioned the unpopular war in Iran, even seeming to acknowledge that it had hurt the U.S. economy. “We were doing great,” he said before he approached his economic advisers to say, “I hate to do this to you,” explaining that he needed to start the conflict because Iran was perhaps “two, maybe three weeks away from having a nuclear weapon.”

Trump similarly defended imposing sweeping tariffs on U.S. trade partners, insisting that the resulting economic turmoil would be worth it in the long run.

His most dramatic comments, however, were to promise, “If the Republicans win the Senate and House, because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.”

The president said the only caveat would be that recipients spend the money in the U.S. He provided no details on how such a plan would be implemented but declared, “It will be called the Trump dividend.”

The convention was part rally, part fundraiser

The gathering took place as Republicans try to boost enthusiasm heading into the final stretch before Election Day, despite voters’ economic concerns and dissatisfaction with the war in Iran. The event described Democrats as communists, anti-American or even evil. Republicans called themselves a “common sense” alternative.

Trump used several minutes of his speech to praise Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is in a tough Senate race in normally what is America’s largest red state.

“He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen,” Trump said of Paxton, while adding, “he deserves to be your next senator.”

The convention got a boost from an unlikely source, Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who said in a video message that “I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism.” Fetterman, who has clashed with his party’s leaders, referenced his state’s steel industry in pledging to “work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life.”

A lineup of Trump and more Trump

Normal political conventions are held every four years and serve a purpose beyond pomp and circumstance, with parties formally nominating their presidential picks. This week’s convention, by contrast, is The Trump Show, through and through.

The walls of the arena where the Dallas Mavericks play were covered with photographs of Trump, even in the elevators. Plenty of attendees wore cowboy hats and boots and many sequins were on display — as well as “Make America Great Again” and American flag caps and other gear.

People in the crowd waved signs reading “Republicans Are Fixing Democrats’ Mess,” despite Republicans controlling the U.S. House, Senate and presidency.

During the early hours of programming, speeches were delivered to scores of empty seats, even in areas close to the stage. Crowds began mostly filling them before Trump’s speech, though areas in the upper decks remained sparsely populated.

Trump will follow up Wednesday’s address with closing remarks on Thursday, after Vice President JD Vance gives his own speech.

“I’m not doing a big deal like this,” Trump said, wrapping up his opening night address that approached the two-hour mark.

Ray Washburne, co-chair of the Dallas host committee, said the event is expected to draw roughly 30,000 people across both nights, but getting airtime was challenging. The NFL season kicked off Wednesday with a game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. On Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams will play in Australia.

Key candidates have their turns on stage

Speakers included Republican congressional leadership and Cabinet members. Attorney General Todd Blanche also spoke, which is uncommon for the nation’s top law enforcement official, as Justice Department leaders don’t typically address such events given the agency’s tradition of political independence.

Blanche said Trump and Vance “put American families first. They prove that order and prosperity go hand in hand.”

Republican Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers, who is facing off against Abdul El-Sayed, isn’t giving his speech until Thursday night. However, many opening night speakers singled out El-Sayed as a sign Democrats were too radical.

There are 12 hours of programming over two nights, with 100-plus speakers and segments focused on subjects such as tax cuts, fraud allegations and border security.

Trump also hinted that he’d talk a lot about Iran even before leaving for Dallas. As he spoke to reporters on the tarmac prior to boarding Air Force One, the president said that oil prices — which have surged because of the conflict — likely won’t come down until after the midterms, a bit of economic forecasting that could darken his party’s fortunes.

“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” he promised, as oil prices jumped more than 3% Wednesday.

Organizers say they’re fine with some Republicans skipping the convention

Some Republicans balked at high attendance fees. Republican House members were being asked to pay $25,000 for convention tickets and lodging, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to speak frankly about the private arrangement.

An additional 2,000 tickets were distributed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, largely to donors and others to attend the convention. Other tickets were allocated to state parties to distribute as they saw fit.

“Per the RNC, this is a ticketed fundraiser and rally, not a traditional national convention,” the Denton County Republican Party in Texas wrote in a Facebook post, which advertised packages from $5,000 to $20,000.

Trump’s political operation, which has been sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars, began spending heavily through a new group, the No Going Back PAC Inc., the New York Times reported Wednesday. The group has reserved $49 million in six competitive Senate races and one competitive House race.

That’s in addition to the $10 million that MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, has spent on the Texas Senate race.

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Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Dallas, Steven Sloan, Aamer Madhani and Lisa Mascaro in Washington, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia contributed to this report.

Jill Colvin, Thomas Beaumont And Will Weissert, The Associated Press