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Democrats are ‘completely stained’ after backing Platner through multiple scandals, Republicans charge
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Graham Platner is taking his name off the ballot, but the trail of debris left from the mounting controversies that brought down his nearly year-long insurgent Senate campaign in Maine is giving Republicans ammunition to use against Democrats in other crucial midterm races.
«Democrats rolled in the mud with Platner, and now they are completely stained by their association with this sick monster,» Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters charged in a statement minutes after the Marine Corp veteran announced on Wednesday night that he was suspending his campaign.
Republicans are now linking Platner to Democrats in a handful of House and Senate races that will directly impact the midterm battle for control of Congress.
Platner, a populist Democrat backed last September by leading national progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was challenging longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-profile, combustible and very expensive race in Maine, which is one of a handful that will determine if the GOP holds onto its slim Senate majority in November’s midterm elections.
PLANTER CALLS IT QUITS, DROPS SENATE BID AMID MOUNTING SCANDALS
Graham Platner, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate for Maine, during a primary election night event at the Blue Hill YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, June 9, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Platner’s exit from the race came two days after an explosive report on Monday afternoon contained an allegation of rape from a woman he previously dated. It was only after that report when a chorus of calls emerged from top Democrats across the country for him to immediately drop out.
But Platner, the combat veteran and oyster farmer whose campaign caught fire and steamrolled the Democratic establishment, had already been forced on defense ahead of the his primary victory last month.
Past inflammatory online comments made on a now-deleted Reddit account came back to haunt him at the same time he was reeling from revelations of a now covered-up tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol. Then reports that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married came right before allegations from ex-girlfriends of a history of rape fantasies, heavy drinking and violent episodes were made public.
Platner repeatedly called the allegations of violence untrue and dismissed his tattoo and Reddit posts as actions taken by a younger man who has now changed.
And addressing the latest rape allegation, a visibly irritated Platner charged in his suspension video on Wednesday: «This is all false. The things that have been claimed did not happen. It is not real.»
PLATNER’S GONE: HERE’S WHAT’S NEXT AND WHO’S SCRAMBLING TO REPLACE HIM
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to an overflow crowd outside a campaign event June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
But Republicans see an opportunity to use Platner’s toxic baggage as a cudgel against some Democrats on the ballot in key races this year — especially those who once backed the Maine candidate or defended him against previous allegations.
«Every Democrat that endorsed Graham Platner endorsed a rapist, and every Democrat that stayed silent was complicit,» Gruters argued.
The GOP quickly took aim at Matt Dunlap, the Democratic nominee in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, a Democrat-controlled open seat in a mostly rural district President Donald Trump carried in the past three presidential elections that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is heavily targeting.
Dunlap endorsed Platner and appeared with him at a campaign event days before Maine’s June 9 primary.
«Out of touch freak Matt Dunlap might be okay with Nazi lovers and men who abuse women, but in November, he’ll see for himself that Mainers aren’t. Dunlap’s embrace of this vile human is disqualifying,» NRCC Spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole charged.
On Monday, amid a wave of Democrats calling on Platner to call it quits, Dunlap said in a statement, «The allegations reported today are serious, and they deserve to be treated with the gravity they warrant. As such, I am calling on Graham Platner to withdraw from the race for Senate so we can all come together behind a nominee who can successfully carry the torch in November.»
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In neighboring battleground New Hampshire, the NRCC took aim at Stefany Shaheen, the polling front runner in the September primary in the state’s 1st Congressional District, another crucial swing seat that is among roughly two to three dozen that will determine if the GOP holds its razor-thin House majority in the midterms.
«Granite Staters will hold Shaheen accountable for her appalling judgment,» O’Toole argued.
Shaheen never endorsed Platner, but did not explicitly condemn him until Monday, when she said in a statement that «the allegations of sexual assault are extremely disturbing.»
«Graham Platner needs to drop out of this race. I stand with the women who bravely came forward,» she added.
The Shaheen campaign told Fox News Digital that Republicans are being hypocritical, and pointed to President Donald Trump as an example of the double standard.
«Stefany Shaheen called for Graham Platner to drop out. Republicans hacks are total hypocrites still excusing Donald Trump even after he was forced to pay millions in damages to a woman he sexually abused,» Shaheen campaign manager Emma Greenberg told Fox News Digital.
«They have nothing to say about the twenty-eight women who have accused Trump of sexually abusing them. Stefany is going to keep taking on Donald Trump’s corrupt self-dealing and misogyny along with the hacks who keep enabling it.»
The general election winner in the congressional race will succeed four-term Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running for the Senate this year.
Former GOP Sen. John E. Sununu, the Republican front-runner in that race, took aim at Pappas over what he charged were the «failures of Chris Pappas when it comes to Graham Platner.»
The statement spotlights a critical piece on Pappas penned by the conservative-leaning New Hampshire Journal.
Pappas, who never endorsed Platner, also took to social media on Monday, saying, «The allegations against Graham Platner are reprehensible, and he must step aside.»
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The Pappas campaign also argued that Sununu, who is backed byTrump, is being hypocritical.
«Donald Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, bragged about sexually harassing women and girls, has publicly defamed and demeaned survivors, and is mentioned in the Epstein files over 38,000 times — and John Sununu accepted Trump’s endorsement anyway,» Chris Pappas for Senate spokesperson Gates MacPherson said. «Chris Pappas called on Platner to step aside immediately. John Sununu still stands with Donald Trump. They are not the same.»
The Senate showdown for the Democrat-controlled seat in New Hampshire is one of roughly a dozen races that will determine if Republicans retain their majority in the chamber.
Democrats question how effective any concerted push by the GOP to use Platner as ammunition may be with voters this autumn.
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«Battleground district voters don’t care about Graham Platner, CJ Warnke, communications director at the House Majority PAC, the top super PAC supporting congressional Democrats, told Fox News Digital in a statement.
Warnke, pivoting to affordability, argued that voters «care about how Republicans broke their promise lower costs by passing a toxic agenda of tariffs, new wars, and devastating health care cuts. Meanwhile, Democrats are running on making life more affordable and rooting out corruption, and in November we’re going to win.»
politics, graham platner, midterm elections, democrats elections, republicans, elections, maine
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EXCLUSIVE: 25 years after 9/11, ICE says more than 2K known or suspected terrorists have been deported
Tom Homan slams calls to abolish ICE as border enforcement hits records
Border czar Tom Homan slams calls from progressives to abolish the agency as border enforcement actions reach historic levels. Homan highlights recent record-breaking arrests and deportations, emphasizing that seventy percent of those detained are convicted criminals. He also reveals ICE’s critical role in rescuing over one hundred and fifty thousand smuggled children, warning of the dangerous consequences of dismantling the agency.
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EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported more than 2,000 known or suspected terrorists from the U.S. since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tells Fox News Digital, as the nation prepares to mark 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
DHS said ICE arrested more than 2,150 known or suspected terrorists between Jan. 20, 2025, and Sept. 9, 2026, and deported 2,015 during that period.
«As we reflect on the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the brave men and women of ICE continue to carry out their duty to protect the homeland and keep the American people safe,» DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the department’s announcement.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S IMMIGRATION PUSH FUELS ICE’S BIGGEST ARREST MONTH IN AGENCY HISTORY
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, along with other federal law enforcement agencies, attend a pre-enforcement meeting in Chicago. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)
Mullin said ICE had arrested more than 2,100 known or suspected terrorists and deported more than 2,000, adding that the anniversary underscored the department’s commitment to «eternal vigilance.»
DHS pointed to several recent cases involving alleged terrorists and members of designated foreign terrorist organizations.
WHITE HOUSE UFC TERROR PLOT ‘RINGLEADER’ IS A MEXICAN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, DHS CONFIRMS
ICE agents conduct a multi-agency targeted enforcement operation in Chicago. (Christopher Dilts / Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)
In June, federal authorities arrested Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, a Mexican national DHS described as the suspected ringleader of an alleged mass-casualty plot targeting UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
DHS said Alvarez overstayed a visitor visa that expired in 2001 and later received DACA status in 2014. ICE lodged a detainer following his arrest.
Days earlier, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested Felipe Linares De Oliveira Dell Aquilla, a Brazilian national DHS identified as a former commander of two designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Authorities said they recovered a handgun, cash and multiple electronic devices after a vehicle and foot pursuit in North Carolina.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS FEDERAL AUTHORITIES HAVE ARRESTED MORE THAN 10,000 SUSPECTED GANG MEMBERS
ICE conducts an immigration operation in New York City. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images, File)
DHS said Aquilla was wanted in Brazil on criminal association and extortion charges and was allegedly holding his wife against her will while preparing to flee to Mexico.
ICE lodged a detainer after his arrest, while investigators pursued additional firearm and kidnapping charges.
Four Venezuelan members of Tren de Aragua also pleaded guilty in May to charges stemming from a 2024 Bronx shooting that killed two people.
DHS said all four had entered the United States illegally between 2022 and 2023.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: 9/11 IS JUST A HISTORY CHAPTER FOR A NEW GENERATION OF AMERICANS
Flowers left by mourners at the 911 Memorial in New York City. (Getty Images, File)
The announcement comes as the nation prepares to mark 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.
The attacks prompted the largest overhaul of the nation’s homeland security apparatus in decades, including the creation of DHS in 2002 and ICE the following year.
Friday’s anniversary will commemorate the victims of the attacks and the first responders who rushed into danger, while marking a quarter-century of U.S. efforts to prevent another large-scale terrorist attack on American soil.
september 11, terrorism, deportation, national security, homeland security, donald trump, illegal immigrants, politics
En Fundamentos de una estética de la destrucción, el poeta y también crítico de arte Aldo Pellegrini escribió en 1961: “La destrucción del artista no es el acto brutal y sin sentido que determina el odio; es un acto que tiene sentido, y este sentido lleva la marca indeleble del humor”. Sobre ese tejido Profetas de la descomposición, que se presenta en Galería Del Infinito, construye su red, a partir de una revisión del arte argentino a través de la destrucción y el happening.
La muestra, una más de calidad museo del espacio de Recoleta, reúne obras históricas, registros visuales, publicaciones, materiales documentales y piezas de circulación poco conocidas a partir de una hipótesis central: leer el arte argentino como proceso y no como resultado definitivo, en permanente inestabilidad y transformación. Un arte que se deshace a si mismo para resurgir, como el Fénix, desde las cenizas, para convertir lo matérico en simbólico.
En su curaduría, Javier Villa seleccionó obras y experiencias que van desde la Galería Lirolay de los años 60, y nombres como Alberto Greco, Marta Minujín, Osvaldo Lamborghini, Margarita Paksa, Federico Manuel Peralta Ramos o Liliana Maresca, junto a otros cuyas trayectorias fueron desplazadas por el relato oficial.
La muestra compone así un recorrido que coloca a la destrucción y la transformación en un proceso simbiótico, a partir de acciones que marcaron una historia del arte argentino.
“Estos artistas actuaron sobre formas que parecían estables y produjeron grietas, restos, desplazamientos y nuevos modos de circulación. La destrucción aparece como una tecnología de pasaje capaz de alterar la materia, la imagen, la subjetividad y las instituciones”, escribe Villa.
En el ingreso se puede observar una serie de fotografías de Jorge Roiger que reconstruyen la experiencia “Arte destructivo”, impulsada por Kenneth Kemble en 1961, del que participaron también Enrique Barilari, Jorge López Anaya, Antonio Seguí, Silvia Torras y Luis Alberto Wells y, en la cual, se destrozaron muebles y quemaron objetos en clima de violencia y desborde en la icónica Galería Lirolay y que fue un antecedente crucial para las manifestaciones del “arte de acción” de mediados de aquella década.
“Se me ocurrió que sería interesante canalizar esta tendencia destructiva del hombre, esta agresividad, reprimida en la mayoría de los casos pero siempre pronta a explotar nocivamente, en una experiencia artísticamente inofensiva”, escribió Kemble, en aquel entonces, en el texto de sala.
El recorrido continúa con la figura de Alberto Greco, quien este año tuvo una gran antológica en el Reina Sofia, y que a comienzos de la década del 60 formuló Vivo-Dito o Arte Vivo, un movimiento unipersonal que proponía señalar personas, objetos o situaciones de la vida cotidiana para convertirlos en obra de arte.
En el Manifiesto (1963) planteó que la obra ya existe en la realidad y que la acción artística consiste en revelarla. Así, trasladó la obra desde el objeto hacia la vida misma: personas reales, conversaciones y situaciones urbanas cimentaron nuevas preguntas sobre qué puede ser arte.
La expo reúne fotos de las series Albertus Grecvs y Cristo 63, momento en que amplió su práctica más allá de la pintura y pasó a trabajar con su cuerpo, su identidad y las situaciones que generaba a su alrededor.
En Cristo 63, realizado en Roma junto con Carmelo Bene y Giuseppe Lenti, la teatralización se extendió a una situación colectiva con improvisación, intervención del público, escándalo y pérdida de control. Las fotografías de Claudio Abate registraron fragmentos de una experiencia cuya forma dependía del tiempo, de los cuerpos presentes y de sus reacciones.
En Albertus Grecvs, construyó a partir de si mismo una figura ceremonial, religiosa y teatral a través del disfraz: Greco resurgió como personaje, emblema y objeto de culto, y convirtió su identidad en una superficie disponible para la ficción.
En ese marco, en el ’64 aparecen los registros fotográficos de Oscar Bony de la inauguración en la Galería Lirolay de las muestras Las aventuras de la Vicky y La casita de los enanos, de Juan Stoppani y Alfredo Rodriguez Arias y la posterior procesión hasta la Costanera Sur, donde arrojaron las obras al Río de la Plata, borrando la materialidad y privilegiando el registro y el acontecimiento. “Las obras no eran para quedarse, sino para que su ausencia abriera otras lecturas”, escribió el autor de La familia obrero en ese momento.
Entre las rarezas en torno a Greco se aprecian dos objetos: un collar de clavos de herradura de su época informalista y que colocaba en la solapa de sus amigos pertenecientes a la Orden de Greco, una institución personal y deliberadamente precaria en la que el propio artista elegía y condecoraba a sus integrantes.
Las reuniones, que funcionaban como parodia de los mecanismos oficiales de reconocimiento y consagración, incluyó entre otras a Kenneth Kemble, Luis Felipe Noé y Ernesto Deira. Una foto, sacada por el propio Romulo Macció, ilustra uno de aquellos encuentros, junto a una servilleta intervenida durante la comida con dibujos, firmas, quemaduras, manchas y pequeñas construcciones, que registra la forma de trabajo que Greco estaba ensayando antes de formular el Vivo-Dito.
La figura de Rubén Santantonín aparece con el collage sobre cartón El Apocalipsis de San Juan (1962), pieza en la que comenzó a alejarse de la pintura y a construir obras con cartón, telas, yeso, alambres y materiales frágiles, un giro que lo llevó a llamar “cosas” a esas producciones.
A continuación, aparece Mancha de sangre, de Ricardo Carreira, creada para el evento Homenaje al Viet-Nam del ‘66, en Galería Van Riel, en la que un charco de resina poliéster de color rojo colocado sobre el suelo, sin pedestal ni marco, resalta el acto destructivo pero en ausencia del objeto dañado, la víctima, como tampoco el después.
A su lado se presentan fotos de La acción de las fuentes rojas, intervención de Margarita Paksa, Roberto Jacoby, León Ferrari, Pablo Suárez, Beatriz Balvé y Juan Pablo Renzi, quienes de manera clandestina tiñeron de rojo el agua de fuentes públicas -Plaza de Mayo, Plaza Congreso y Plaza Lavalle- y convertirlas, al amanecer, en una imagen de sangre sobre espacios asociados con el poder político, la justicia y la vida pública, para recordar el primer aniversario de la muerte de Ernesto Che Guevara.
Realizada en 1968, mismo año que Tucumán Arde y en el que Nicolás García Uriburu tiñó de verde el Gran Canal en el marco de la Bienal de Venecia, la intromisión fue más bien efímera, ya que el agua no circulaba en un circuito cerrado y la anilina fue arrastrada con rapidez hacia los desagües. Queda, para la memoria, las fotos realizadas por Paksa.
En el centro de la sala se presenta el croquis y fotos, durante su construcción y ya edificado, del emblemático Obelisco acostado de Marta Minujín, quien, en 1978, reprodujo en madera y placas de aglomerado las dimensiones del monumento porteño y lo trasladó imaginariamente desde la Plaza de la República hasta el pabellón de la Bienal Latinoamericana de São Paulo.
Entonces, modificó la lógica vertical para colocar al símbolo fálico iconográfico de la ciudad en posición horizontal, “que podía ser recorrido por dentro y quedaba abierto a la participación del público”, pieza que forma parte de célebre serie La caída de los mitos.
De Minujín, en otra parte de la sale, también surgen algunos registros de La destrucción (1963), su primer happening, realizado en un terreno baldío de París, donde reunió a colegas para intervenir, hachar y quemar toda la obra, estructuras construidas con colchones usados, telas, cartones y restos recogidos de hospitales, que había producido hasta ese momento.
En el campo de los medios de comunicación y la cultura de masas, en 1966, Roberto Jacoby, Eduardo Costa y Raúl Escari crearon una fake-news que se replicó como noticial real: para el célebre Happening para un jabalí difunto, se crearon imágenes y testimonios ficticios que se dieron como reales.
Un evento que nunca sucedió, pero que a partir de su cobertura problematizaba sobre si lo real es lo que existe o si son los medios los que crean la veraz, lo que indagó en la “crisis de la autoridad documental de la fotografía y del periodismo” que tiene una enorme actualidad.
De Liliana Maresca se puede reveer el fotoperformance a doble página, al estilo aviso personal, con la frase: “Maresca se entrega. Todo destino” y un número telefónico real para que el público pudiera llamarla y contactarla, que salió en la revista El Libertino en 1993.
Con este acto, la artista extendía la performance por fuera de la sesión fotográfica y abría una situación imprevisible: el encuentro con el público que ya había establecido un año antes con Espacio disponible, donde había ofrecido un lugar “apto todo destino” con carteles y su teléfono. Dentro de esta muestra, la destrucción alcanza los límites entre intimidad y publicidad, sujeto y mercancía, artista y obra, explican en el texto.
Por otra parte, de Osvaldo Lamborghini se enseñan dibujos, collages y publicaciones de circulación popular intervenidas (en su mayoría pornográficas) -alteradas con pintura, escritura manuscrita, tachaduras, cortes y pegamentos- que produjo en sus últimos años en Barcelona a inicios de los ‘80.
En aquellos años, el escritor y poeta argentino, que dejó apenas tres novelas y otros tantos libros de poemas y cuentos, vivía sus últimos años en la ciudad condal, encerrado, mientras sobre una mesa intervenía las revistas que su pareja compraba, alterando el sentido original para construir, a partir de los restos de las imágenes, una tensión entre deseo, violencia, censura y exposición, algo que puede ser transferible a su obra literarira, donde son comunes las imágenes violentas como pornográficas y un sentido del humor algo lúgubre, a través de la parodia
Si bien Lamborghini ha tenido en los últimos años una reaparición de su “intromisión” en el sistema del arte, todavía falta una retrospectiva para conocer con mayor profundidad a esta figura “maldita”.
La figura de Federico Manuel Peralta Ramos da la bienvenida al último sector de la muestra: de un lado su pintura Paisaje metafísico de algo nuevo en la Argentina y, del otro, una fotografía de Silvio Fabrykant en la que aparece desnundo, ya que Federico le borroneó la zona genital porque “los ángeles no tienen sexo”
Hay algunas omisiones relacionadas al Di Tella, que podrían haber ingresado en este relato que se centra, en gran parte, a lo sucedido en los ‘60: la destrucción del famoso huevo gigante de Peralta Ramos a puro palazo (hoy, homenajeado frente a Plaza San Martín) y La barricada, en la que los artistas que formaron parte de Experiencias 68 destruyeron sus obras y las arrojaron a la calle Florida, en protesta por la censura a El baño de Roberto Plate y que significó el cierre definitivo del sector de artes visuales del mítico espacio.
Tras pasar el umbral se ingresa a la sala donde la expo visibiliza a figuras que la tradición dejó en los márgenes, como Leonor Vassena, Jacobo Fijman y Renée Cuellar, con una selección del Instituto Argentino de Artistas Rotos y Periferias Estéticas (IAARPE).
En el caso de Cuellar, artista que inspiró a la excelsa copista, conocida como La Negra, en la novela La luz negra de María Gainza, aparecen dibujos, sobres, cartas, manuscritos, libros intervenidos y pequeños objetos pasaron de mano en mano mediante regalos, trueques e intercambios personales. Muchas piezas quedaron atadas a una anécdota, una conversación o un vínculo concreto, con escritura e imagen funcionando como un solo campo de trabajo.
Leonor Vassena desarrolló una pintura concentrada en la figura humana, el paisaje y una búsqueda cada vez más austera de la forma. Se formó con Lino Enea Spilimbergo y más tarde se vinculó al ambiente artístico europeo, y construyó un lenguaje de fuerte intensidad interior, alejado del virtuosismo decorativo y de los efectos de color. Allí, se presentan dos pinturas de la década del ‘50 Cabeza abajo y Sin título, en la que sus figuras surgen ingrávidas, aisladas, encerradas en un mundo aislado, que se leen como una representación hacia una zona más psicológica y simbólica.
Finalmente, desde 1942 y hasta su muerte en 1970 Jacobo Fijman permaneció internado en instituciones neuropsiquiátricas. Allí siguió escribiendo y dibujando sobre pequeños papeles y cartones que muchas veces entregó a amigos, visitantes y trabajadores del hospital, y esa circulación fragmentaria dispersó buena parte de su trabajo.
Dentro de la exposición, la figura de de Fijman -retratado por Antonio Berni– invita a pensar la destrucción como la interrupción de la continuidad social del artista: su circulación pública se interrumpió, su producción se dispersó y su identidad quedó sometida durante décadas a la categoría de paciente, a partir de dibujos y poemas de esos años.
Profetas de la descomposición propone ver el gesto destructivo de los artistas no como un final, sino como comienzo y búsqueda. En esa crisis, en el marco de un mundo que se encontraba en conflicto tras la caída del Estado de Bienestar y la expansión del capitalismo militarista, y en la que el happening era la vanguardia, lo físico, lo material, se volvió efímero como crítica a un sistema, a la mercancía, y propuso lo ritual como obra de arte en sí. Había que romper todo. Como siguió la historia, ya todos lo saben.
*Profetas de la descomposición, en Galería Del Infinito, Av. Presidente Manuel Quintana 325, PB, en el barrio de Recoleta, CABA. Hasta el 30 de septiembre, de lunes a viernes, de 11:00 a 17:00 hs. Entrada gratuita.
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Trump makes stunning first-of-its-kind cash promise in bid to rally GOP voters at Dallas midterm convention
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DALLAS — President Donald Trump delivered the keynote speech on day one of the GOP’s inaugural midterm convention, alternating between touting his successes in office and rallying thousands of supporters for Republican candidates ahead of November’s general election before making a promise to American voters.
n a stunning move, Trump made a promise unheard of in the history of American politics — offering a cash prize should Republicans keep control of Congress.
«I can make this promise to you, and here is my promise,» he said. «If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic — tremendous economic success like in history, we’ve never had anything like what’s happening. but 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. Very much like a successful company will do a cash distribution to its shareholders.»
TRUMP’S UNUSUAL ROLE AT MIDTERM CONVENTION REVEALED AS SCHEDULE GOES PUBLIC
President Donald Trump speaks on stage on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 9, 2026. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
«It will be called the ‘Trump dividend,’» he added.
Trump opened the speech by grading his own performance since taking office for a second time in January 2025, saying he’s «doing a great job.» He quickly shifted to addressing the historical challenge that incumbent parties rarely retain control of Congress in midterm elections.
JOHNSON DOWNPLAYS GOP’S MIDTERM WOES AS DEMOCRATS EYE HOUSE TAKEOVER: ‘I AM VERY BULLISH’
«But I say, why is it that no matter how well you’re doing, we see not a president — Democrat or Republican — almost never wins the midterms?’ said Trump. «We’ve got to change that because we have something going that’s so good we can’t let that string be broken. So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot, just one more time.»
During his effort to rally GOP voters to help Republicans hang onto the House and Senate, Trump made sure to give credit to Republicans on Capitol Hill for their work in passing his agenda.
MILLIONS TAP TRUMP TAX CUTS THIS FILING SEASON AS REFUNDS TOP $3,400
«Our Republican Congress puts thousands of dollars into the pockets of working families with the largest tax cuts in the history of our country,» he said. «So we had the largest in history. We gave you no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on Social Security for our great seniors.»
He said his administration’s efforts on critical issues will be crushed if the GOP loses majorities in either or both chambers of Congress.
TRUMP ADMIN MARKS 15 STRAIGHT MONTHS WITH ZERO BORDER RELEASES AS APPREHENSIONS PLUNGE 94%
«Because if we lose, you’re going to lose your border,» he said. «You’re going to lose your tax cuts. You’re going to lose your safety and security. You’re going to lose your wealth.»
President Donald Trump greets attendees as he walks on stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 9, 2026. Trump headlined the Republican National Committee’s first-ever midterm convention as he aimed to highlight his administration’s achievements and rally support for GOP candidates ahead of the November elections. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Fox News polling shows Trump is underwater with voters on the economy, cost of living and inflation. Sixty-five percent of voters disapprove of his handling of the economy. The president also defended the military conflict in Iran, saying he has received criticism over rising gas prices tied to the conflict but arguing that «I’m right,» because Iran was one month away from securing a nuclear weapon. Inflation has risen from 2.4% to 3.4% since the war began in February, while gas prices have also increased.
RECORD GAS PRICES SQUEEZE AMERICANS AS SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON ENDS, MIDTERMS LOOM AND IRAN WAR WAGES ON
Republicans who spoke to Fox News Digital on day one of the convention weren’t concerned with Trump’s economic policies.
«I believe that Trump is doing the right thing,» one RNC attendee told Fox News Digital. «The tariffs are bringing a lot of money back, you know, correcting the national debt. And that’s gonna improve everything across the board.»
«I feel like as soon as we bring this conflict in Iran to a close, we’ll start seeing the full effects of President Trump and the greatness that he’s done as far as the economy, the great thing of tariffs, and some of the products of the Trump economy in the golden age,» said Jacquez Jones of Texas.
Later, Trump shifted his sights to Texas’ high profile U.S. Senate race between Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democrat state Rep. James Talarico.
«We have to elect Ken Paxton,» he said, segueing into border security, a top issue under both Trump administrations. «Together, we’re going to continue to have — we have the strongest borders now in the history of our country.»
‘FAKE’ MODERATE TALARICO’S TEXAS SURGE TESTS PAXTON IN FIGHT TO HOLD CRUCIAL GOP SENATE SEAT
HOUSTON, TEXAS – JUNE 12: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is shown during the Texas GOP convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston Friday, June 12, 2026. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images) ((Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images))
«We have the lowest level of illegal immigration ever recorded in our country,» he said, adding that zero illegal immigrants have entered the country through Texas in 16 months.
«And therefore zero have been admitted into Texas where they used to be running around, running rampant, killing people, destroying many houses and farms, and ruining property values and creating havoc all over the state of Texas,» he said.
During the speech, he also took aim at Democratic Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and former Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina.
LONGTIME GOP AIDE DEFECTS TO DEM RISING STAR AS TEXAS SENATE BATTLE FOR CORNYN’S SEAT HEATS UP
He also touted what he described as foreign policy wins. After the arrest of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump boasted about «the biggest oil deal» ever, which he said might be «the biggest deal in the history of our country.»
«65 billion barrels are ours,» Trump said. «And you know what they say it is lifetime 500 years.»
Later, Trump transitioned to slamming the GOP’s far-left opponents.
«In this election, the Democrats have nominated the most extreme and dangerous group of candidates for the House and Senate ever to seek office,» he said. «These people are radical left communists. Many of them. Not all of them, but many of them in state after state. The Democrat establishment has been overthrown and replaced by crazed lunatics and radicals. They call themselves Democrat socialists. But actually they’re communists. They’re not socialists. They’re long beyond socialists.»
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America gather outside a Trump-owned building on May Day, May 1, 2019, in New York City. (Getty Images)
He noted the DSA has proposed abolishing prisons, ICE, Border Patrol, the U.S. Senate and the presidency.
That message was one Alex Stone of Kansas City, Missouri, hoped for earlier in the day.
«Tell the truth about who they are, what they believe and what they plan on doing,» he told Fox News Digital when asked what Trump’s message to Americans should be. «Democratic Socialists of America with El-Sayed in Michigan, in particular, these people want to destroy people like myself. They want to destory people like President Trump and many of the other people here. If they get into power, what is going to happen to us?»
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The president said he’s prepared for stiff opposition from those opponents.
«The pundits, the fake news media and the radical left communists will say anything they can to try and stop us. But in this election, all that matters is that we are united, we are together, and what we say counts.»
politics, republicans elections, midterm elections, donald trump, congress
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