DALLAS – Vice President JD Vance will take his turn at trying to pump up the GOP base for the midterm election's final stretch as Republicans close out their two-day mini-convention, gathering again at a downtown arena after a marathon speech and surprise twist by President Donald Trump on the first day.
Speaking for an hour and 45 minutes in an arena with many empty seats, Trump kicked off the convention Sept. 9 with an extraordinary offer to pay every American adult $5,000 if Republicans maintain control of Congress.
Trump is taking the stage again tonight for closing remarks after Vance delivers the keynote address. The president's controversial plan to fatten Americans'
wallets if they elect Republicans comes as the party has struggled to blunt Democrats' momentum and faces a challenging midterm outlook. Trump followed up Wednesday's offer with an announcement Thursday that his administration would refund $500 million that he said people were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance.
Republicans searching for a midterm message that can salvage their electoral prospects are likely to hear a much more concise and focused speech from the vice president than what Trump delivered the night before. The speech by Vance, a likely 2028 presidential candidate, is one of his biggest opportunities yet to rally the party faithful and consolidate support.
Trump unveils $500M refund for Affordable Care Act participants
12:14 PM ET, September 10 2026, Bart JansenTrump announced that his administration would refund $500 million that he alleged people were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance.
The White House video statement, which coincided with the second day of the Republican National Convention, said that $500 checks would be mailed in October to 1 million people in 30 states. The states use Healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace where people sign up for Obamacare health insurance.
"Our administration is doing the right thing and giving the money back to the people who were wrongly ripped off,” Trump said.
The refunds are separate from the $5,000 dividend Trump proposed on the first night of the convention on Sept. 9. Critics called the proposal “corrupt and blatantly illegal.”
$5,000 for every American? Trump's similar 'dividends' haven’t happened.
11:56 AM ET, September 10 2026, Melina KhanPresident Donald Trump vowed to issue $5,000 dividends to every U.S. adult if Republicans hold onto control of Congress in November, a brazen offer of financial support to voters with less than two months until midterm elections.
Trump announced the plan on Sept. 9 while speaking at the GOP's first-ever midterm convention, a two-day affair aiming to stunt Democrats ahead of Election Day.
"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," he said.
It's not fully clear how the dividends would be paid for or how much they would cost, though the president did credit funds from the tariffs he has levied on imports for making it possible.
Read the full story
Democrats call Trump, GOP 'unfit to govern' over Iran war, economy
11:56 AM ET, September 10 2026, Bart JansenDemocrats blasted Trump’s handling of the Iran war and the economy in calling him “unfit to govern” as the president rallied Republicans for the Nov. 3 midterm election during their first midterm convention.
“Americans paid record-high gas prices on Labor Day,” while the Iran war and tariffs “made life way more expensive,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, said on social media. “They are all unfit to govern,” he said of Republicans.
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, called Trump “the biggest liability in American politics” in the midterm elections because of his “rock bottom” 33% approval rating.
Rep. Dan Goldman, D-New York, a former House staffer who worked on Trump’s first impeachment, called the president’s $5,000 pledge “corrupt and blatantly illegal.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GOP convention will close with Vance, Trump speeches. Live updates
