Daniel Wolfram
There was a lot of news coming out of the first-ever Trump-a-palooza. Here are the five most important things from last night’s convention.
The pageantry was turned up to 11. The convention center was decked out in wall-to-wall photos of Trump.
The President of the United States delivered a speech that lasted over two hours with a lot of promises if Americans would vote for the GOP in November.
Here are five takeaways from the first night of the newly created Republican midterm convention – also known as Trump-a-palooza.
Trump promises free money to Americans
If you have listened to enough speeches by Donald Trump, then you know that at certain points during his speeches he will play all of his greatest hits.
Those include immigration, the Iran War, “affordability,” how the word “dumb” has a “b” in it, and attacks on certain Democrats. However, this promise made yesterday was new.
Trump promised every American $5,000 if the GOP gets to keep control of the House and Senate. “If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000. It will be called the Trump dividend,” Trump declared before stressing that the money could only be spent in the US.
At this time of reporting, there has not been an explanation of where the money will come from or how the administration plans to monitor how the money is being spent.
Republicans keep calling Democrats “communists”
It might be easy to forget that there were nearly 50 speakers on the stage before Trump, but there was a recurrent theme throughout.
Many of the speakers spent as much time attacking their Democratic counterparts as they did touting their own accomplishments in the first two years.
“The Communist Party, excuse me, the Democrats have no leader and they have no message,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, from Minnesota, said. “The only thing they can agree on is their disgusting hatred of America and our great president. These people are sick.”
Trump says that the American voter should pretend he is on the ballot
There is no doubt that Trump has been shown the abysmal polls around himself as president and the candidates who are in tough battles with Democrats across America.
Trump had an answer for that in his speech last night: People should pretend he is on the ballot.
“Pretend that I am on the ballot,” Trump said to roaring cheers. He hopes that pledge will help the voter turnout in November.
A Democrat sends support for Trump and the GOP
The Democratic Party chose not to hold its own convention before the midterms. That did not stop a Democratic Senator from sending a special video message.
John Fetterman, the Senator from Pennsylvania, had apparently taped a video for the convention. He introduced the other Senator from the state while saying: “Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today?” Fetterman asked in the video. “Because while I’m a common-sense Democrat, I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism, and that anti-American way of life.”
Fetterman has become something of a pariah in the Democratic Party, and there has been speculation about him jumping ship to the Republican Party.
No Republican other than Trump mentioned the Iran War
While the war with Iran has ramped up again, every Republican speaker avoided the topic.
That is not surprising as the war is a big part of why Trump and the GOP’s popularity is on the downswing. The price of oil is nearing $100 a barrel and it is getting harder for Americans to afford everyday essentials.
Trump himself keeps downplaying the war, calling it “small potatoes” while claiming that Iran is “desperate” for a deal.
Trump is scheduled to speak again on the second day of Trump-a-palooza.
