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President Donald Trump said he would pay every American adult a $5,000 "Trump dividend" if Republicans retain control of Congress in November's midterm election.
Trump made the proposal at his Republican Party's first-ever midterm convention, but it was not immediately clear how the payments would work or whether they would be legal.
With approximately 270 million US adults, the idea would cost around $1.35 trillion.
Tom's joined by Katy Balls, Washington editor and columnist at The Times and Sunday Times. She joins from Dallas where she witnessed the speech from the journalist section of the conference.
During a primetime address that lasted an hour and 45 minutes, Trump boasted of completing "the greatest two years in the history of the presidency," putting himself squarely at the centre of the election despite his deepening unpopularity.
#tomswarbrick #donaldtrump #dallas #republicans #uspolitics #midterms #lbc
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Talking of cash, because we've done so well and because our country is making so much money that only I can make this promise to you
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And here is my promise. If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them
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because of our economic, tremendous economic success, like in history, we've never had anything like what's happening
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but 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
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Very much like a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders
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Or like last year when I gave our great members of the military, 1776. Remember
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US President Donald Trump has said he would pay every adult American $5,000
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if Republicans win both the chambers of Congress in November's midterm elections
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a plan that could cost $1.3 trillion. Katie Balls is Washington editor and columnist
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at The Times and Sunday Times, joining us live from Dallas. Am I right in saying, Katie
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you were at this event last night? That correct I was sat in the crowd well in the journalist section watching as Donald Trump came up with this attention grabbing policy to put it mildly
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And I think there was some surprise in the room. In Britain, this would be considered what's called, I think, treating, isn't it? Effectively buying votes. Is this even legal in the US
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So there's already been, as ever in America, everything's pretty polarised. So there have been accusations that this is effective electoral bribery
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You're not allowed to pay for votes and so forth. The response I've heard in Dallas from Trump supporters is
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is not paying for votes because you'd get the money even if he didn't vote for him
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So Democrats would, this is what the Dallas conversation has been, because of course, effectively, if the Republicans somehow retained both houses
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Donald Trump is saying this would go to every single figure. i think that when you're looking at the policy the other thing is donald trump has succeeded
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in grabbing a lot of attention with it um there are there is republican i've heard republicans
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voicing concern about it the fact that as you say it's estimated to cost over one trillion
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and some saying well wouldn't this be inflationary you have some even some trump donors who've been
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saying you know they want trump and the republicans to do well in the midterms but not by any measure
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particularly things that they think would be bad for the economic trajectory of America
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and just to get some votes across the line but I think also it's very unlikely
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as stands this policy is ever going to happen. Does this have the stench of desperation about it
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I think it has a sense of what can we do when we struggling in the polls so to your point it up to you I think it pure desperation but it definitely an attempt to give voters a reason to go out and vote for Donald Trump
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But then voters are struggling to come up with reasons to apparently vote for Donald Trump and the Republican Party
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When you look at Donald Trump's personal approval ratings, they are down
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They're not where the White House want them to be. Yet Donald Trump being Donald Trump is holding this midterm convention, the first time the Republican Party has ever done that
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And he is putting himself front and center. He headlined last night. He's headlining tonight
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He said, imagine I'm on the ballot. Of course, in the midterms, he's not on the ballot
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It's congressmen, senators. These are candidates who might actually run on local issues
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And Trump is not giving them that option. And I think the policy shows that they think they need an extra incentive, in this case, a big financial one, even if it seems very unlikely it's going to be realised
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Ten years ago, just slightly more than ten years ago, I found myself in a town called Valdosta, Georgia, during the primaries at a Trump convention when he was running for president first time around
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And these events were like nothing you'd ever seen before in politics. They were raucous
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They were glitzy. They were show busy. Are they still the same, Katie
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Is it the same tracks that are still played? Is it the same walk-on song? Has it evolved
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Well, we had the classic YMCA dance after the speech by the president
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which has become custom. And we also had the classic Lee Greenwood performing before Trump's go-to
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So it still has the hallmarks. It has the pyrotechnics. You can see in the hall they have these balloons at top
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which are ready to drop They didn drop last night but you can expect it to be tonight when it closes So there a lot more bold pyrotechnics and almost that celebratory feel at these events
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than you would typically get at a party conference. So I think it's something that Reform Under Nigel Farage have tried to ape a bit at their events. As for the crowds, I mean, it wasn't
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completely full. Donald Trump spent a lot of his speech saying the fake news media were going to
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say, here's an empty seat. No one should go to the bathroom. Because if someone goes in a bathroom
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break, they'll say, you know, an empty seat. This is a big room. This place is packed. Do you think
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the fake news, you know what they're going to do? The fake news will go around and see that man up
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there. He's leaving for the bathroom. He'll be back in two minutes. They'll take a picture of
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his seat while he's gone. And they'll say, Trump did not fill up the arena. The arena was not filled
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look at the seat so please if you don't mind don't anybody go to the bathroom
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it has been a so there's been some debate about how you know how many people are going to turn
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up in dallas what does that say about his popularity it was pretty full um i think though
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you know it wasn't one of these you know these huge rallies with kind of energy perhaps feel a
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little bit less corporate than what we're currently seeing in dallas which is ultimately a convention
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to try and rally the troops, but also to raise a lot of money. Well, Katie, I know it was your old stomping ground, as it was mine
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but I bet you'd rather go to a Dallas Trump conference event
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than attend Tory or Labour Party conference this summer. Are you pining for some warm white wine
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Well, I have managed to get warm white wine here. OK, good. Although I've been finished, but I've also managed to get Texas barbecue
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So, yeah, for now, I'm going to stick with Dallas. Katie Balls is the Washington editor and columnist at The Times and Sunday Times
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joining us live from Dallas. Thank you very much indeed
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