Trump pledges $5,000 per adult if Republicans top midterms

United States President Donald Trump. — File hoto by Agence France-Presse President Donald Trump has pledged to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.

The dubious promise would likely cost more than $1 trillion and require congressional approval, and would further exacerbate the country’s nearly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit and concerns about inflation.

Trump also said on Wednesday that oil prices that have surged because of the Iran war likely won’t come down until after US midterm elections.

The comments were a striking acknowledgment from Trump about the conflict as his Republican administration faces mounting pressure to address high gas prices as the war in Iran grinds on with no conclusion in sight.

Joe Londsdale, a prominent Republican donor and activist, is among the Trump allies panning the president’s latest promise to send money directly to Americans.

“I am hugely in favor of winning the midterms, and love much about this (administration),” he wrote on X, “but am strongly against bread and circus bribes.”

It’s not just Republicans descending on Dallas for the midterm convention—Democrats are there too as they try to convince voters that the reality of Donald Trump’s second presidency doesn’t match the spectacle of his made-for-TV event. /das