NewzRepublicans are gathering in Dallas on Wednesday for a highly unusual two-day midterm convention, a first for the party, that will put President Donald Trump at the center of this fall’s midterm elections.Trump took the stage Wednesday to deliver a keynote address, and he plans to give closing remarks after Vice President JD Vance gives his own speech on Thursday. Members of Trump’s Cabinet will also address the convention. Democrats, meanwhile, are planning their own counterprogramming.Republicans hope the event, which is part rally and part fundraiser, will help catapult their candidates into November, primarily by highlighting the first two years of Trump’s term.
The president has insisted that running on his record will give the GOP their best shot at winning, even as his own poll numbers sag.In an exchange with reporters before his flight to the convention, Trump said oil prices that have surged because of the Iran war likely won’t come down until after the midterm elections. An AP-NORC poll in July offered a stark repudiation of Trump’s handling of the conflict, as results showed about two-thirds of U.S. adults say the war with Iran has not been worthwhile.Here's the Latest:Drug prices can’t be cut by more than 100%Trump said that prescription drug prices have dropped “400, 500 and even 600 percent.”That’s mathematically impossible.
Cutting drug prices by more than 100% would theoretically mean that people are being paid to take medications.Trump insists the White House ballroom is not for himThe president complained that he’s not getting credit for building the ballroom that he said other presidents have wanted for years.And Trump said he won’t even be able to use it for long – just “a few months.” His second, and final, term at the White House ends in 2029.“People forget, you know, they say, ‘He’s building a ballroom for himself.’ No, I’ll be there for a few months,” Trump said.Trump says Americans will get $5,000 each if Republicans winThe president says that, if Republicans win the House and Senate in this fall’s midterm elections, all Americans will receive $5,000.It’s unclear how the payments would work or whether such a plan is legal.But he is comparing it to cash distribution to shareholders when a company is successful.“If the Republicans win, you win with us,” he says, adding that his “Trump dividends” would need to be spent in the U.S.Small… adults say the war with Iran has not been worthwhile.Here's the Latest:Boos for the Senate GOP leaderTrump gave a shoutout to the congressional leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson, praising the Republican who wrangles a narrow majority as “the greatest speaker.”But when Trump name-checked Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the convention crowd was not pleased. Boos filled the convention hall, even as Trump insisted that Thune, with his own slim majority, is working hard.Thune had earlier posted a photo with fellow South Dakotans at the convention.Trump boasts about his spree of geographical name changesTrump drew cheers for his executive order renaming the U.S.
portion of Lake Ontario to Lake America, a recent move to troll the Canadians. He previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.He brought up an idea he first floated over the weekend to give the state of New Mexico a new name, New America.“The people love the idea,” he said. He mused about renaming the Pacific or Atlantic ocean, but added, “I don’t think you can do both.”And he set his sights farther afield, saying he should rename the Strait of Hormuz after himself.“We’ll call it the Trump Strait, and I’m sure the Iranian leadership will be thrilled with that,” Trump said.…
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