Trump Defends Iran War, Promises $5,000 at Convention

President Donald Trump made himself and the war with Iran central to the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, urging voters to treat November’s election as if he were on the ballot and warning that Democrats would damage the country. He defended the military campaign as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, acknowledged its effect on the economy and fuel prices, and renewed threats to strike Iran’s fortified Pickaxe Mountain complex. Trump predicted the war would end after the election and linked victory to lower oil prices, while also defending his sweeping tariffs. His most consequential proposal was a promise to pay every American adult $5,000—a plan that could cost at least $1 trillion—if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate; Vice President JD Vance suggested the payments might exclude wealthy Americans and be funded by tariff revenue. The address underscored Trump’s effort to revive Republicans’ prospects despite low approval ratings, while other Republican officials largely avoided discussing the Iran war and some Republicans skipped the convention.