President Speaks at Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas and Describes a $5,000 Payment if His Party Keeps Congress

Remarks at American Airlines Center

President Donald Trump delivered the keynote address on the first night of a Republican midterm convention at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. He is not on the November ballot. He asked the audience to “pretend that I’m on the ballot.”

He said midterm elections have often been difficult for the president’s party and that he intends to campaign in about 35 competitive House and Senate races. He said he would return to Texas to campaign for Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Senate race.

The payment described in the speech

Trump said that if Republicans keep the House and Senate, he would “issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States” of $5,000, which he called the “Trump dividend,” and that the money would have to be spent in the United States. He did not present legislation, a funding source, or an administrative timeline in the speech.

The White House has not released a separate written plan matching the remarks. Vice President JD Vance did not speak on night one and is listed for Thursday’s program.