Trump, Fetterman deliver surprises at RNC night 1

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Trump pledges $5K ‘Trump dividend’ if Republicans hold onto Congress

Trump pledges $5K ‘Trump dividend’ if Republicans hold onto Congress

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President Trump wrapped up the first day of the GOP’s unprecedented midterm convention Wednesday with a lengthy speech reminiscent of his own campaign rallies — delivering on the “Trump-a-palooza” hype.

Speakers throughout the night praised Trump’s record as he approaches the halfway mark of his second term, while posters of the president adorned the convention center’s walls as baseball caps with his “Make America Great Again” slogan were for sale, The Hill’s Julia Mueller reports from Dallas.

While speaking, Trump reiterated that Republicans should act like he’s on the ballot this November, and those in attendance appeared to be in lockstep with that strategy.

Here’s three big takeaways from the first half of the convention:

Trump promises $5,000 payouts if GOP wins

The biggest piece of news from the president’s keynote speech was his pledge to send $5,000 “Trump dividends” out to all U.S. adults if Republicans hold both the Senate and House in November.

Trump said the money would only be able to be used in the U.S. but didn’t share more specifics. He said he can issue the payments “because we’ve done so well and because our country is making so much money.”

Despite Trump’s promise, the legality and practicality of such a move is unclear. There are about 270 million adults in the U.S., and Congress may have to approve it.

Fox News host Bret Baier estimated in an interview with Vice President Vance following Trump’s speech that the cost would be more than $1.3 trillion to the country, noting some critics may allege this amounts to bribery.

Vance defended the promise by noting the “extraordinary” amount of revenue that has been raised from Trump’s tariffs and that the American people will “share in the benefit.”

Trump has floated similar ideas before, suggesting last year that he would send out $2,000 tariff dividend checks, but it hasn’t come to fruition.

Fetterman makes surprise appearance

Another moment of the convention that raised eyebrows came when Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), who has increasingly been at odds with members of his party, appeared in a video message to introduce his fellow Pennsylvania senator, Dave McCormick (R).

“Why am I here talking to you today?” Fetterman said. “Because, well, I’m a commonsense Democrat.”

He praised McCormick as “the kind of senator who gets the job done.” The two of them have grown increasingly close in recent months and even teamed up earlier this year to launch a joint fundraising committee.

Fetterman said in the video that he would always “reject the extremes in socialism and the anti-American way of life.”

He has been on the outs with many Democrats over bucking the party on key votes and criticizing colleagues to his left. Most recently, he has fallen under scrutiny over a Wall Street Journal report featuring accusations from his former staffers about his alleged lack of commitment to his job responsibilities.

Still, Fetterman confirmed Wednesday that he still plans to caucus with the Democrats in the Senate, as he has said before.

“I’m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party—and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on,” he said.

Cabinet members’ appearances break with norms

In a move that has become commonplace for the Trump administration but is historically rare, several Cabinet members made appearances at the convention, and more are expected today.

That breaks with longstanding norms in which members of the Cabinet generally stay away from overtly political events. Cabinet members are political appointees but are ostensibly prohibited under the Hatch Act from using their offices for political campaign activities.

Among those who appeared on Wednesday were Attorney General Todd Blanche, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz.

The members were notably not introduced by their Cabinet positions as they walked to the podium on stage. For example, Rollins was introduced simply as “the honorable” while Blanche didn’t have any introduction.

Still, the members tore into........

© The Hill