U.S. President Donald Trump said he would give $5,000 (about 6.7 million won) per person to every adult in the United States if Republicans win in the midterm elections in November.
On the 9th (local time), according to Reuters and others, Trump said in his keynote speech on the first day of the Republican midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, that "if Republicans win both the House and the Senate, we will pay $5,000 in dividends to every adult citizen in the United States based on our tremendous economic success."
He added, "It's the same way successful corporations pay cash dividends to shareholders. We will call it the 'Trump dividend,'" and said, "I don't want you going to Canada or China or Germany to spend this money. The only condition is that it must be spent in the United States."
Trump did not specify the funding source or the method of payment for the dividend. Reuters estimated that if the so-called "Trump dividend" is paid to about 270 million U.S. adults, it would cost about $1.35 trillion (about 1,808 trillion won).
Appealing for a vote for Republican candidates, he emphasized, "Think of my name as being on your ballot." Trump said, calling it "a more important request than the Trump dividend," "Think of me as running and go vote on Nov. 3 (midterm election day), or earlier."
He also said, "If we hand over America's future to radical left Democrats, Korea will spend the next 10 years trying to recover," and, "If you vote Republican, we can lead the world for generations to come."
Trump said he would visit all roughly 35 battleground districts in the House and Senate that could decide the election and campaign in support. He also urged party unity by defending Senate Majority Leader John Thune, with whom he has had a strained relationship, and even Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, whom he had not backed in the state's Senate primary.
There were also remarks related to the Iran war. Repeating the claim that the United States "controls the Strait of Hormuz," Trump mocked, "We will call it the 'Trump Strait.' Iran's leadership will be very delighted with that."
Aimed at the Iranian regime, he also said, "They are desperately holding out and hoping we lose (in the midterms)," and, "They are desperate to negotiate."