Trump, Fetterman deliver surprises at RNC night 1

President Trump wrapped up the first day of the GOP’s unprecedented midterm convention Wednesday with a lengthy speech reminiscent of his own campaign rallies — delivering on the “Trump-a-palooza” hype.

Speakers throughout the night praised Trump’s record as he approaches the halfway mark of his second term, while posters of the president adorned the convention center’s walls as baseball caps with his “Make America Great Again” slogan were for sale, The Hill’s Julia Mueller reports from Dallas .

While speaking, Trump reiterated that Republicans should act like he’s on the ballot this November, and those in attendance appeared to be in lockstep with that strategy.

Here’s three big takeaways from the first half of the convention:

Trump promises $5,000 payouts if GOP wins

The biggest piece of news from the president’s keynote speech was his pledge to send $5,000 “Trump dividends” out to all U.S. adults if Republicans hold both the Senate and House in November.

Trump said the money would only be able to be used in the U.S. but didn’t share more specifics. He said he can issue the payments “because we’ve done so well and because our country is making so much money.”

Despite Trump’s promise, the legality and practicality of such a move is unclear. There are about 270 million adults in the U.S., and Congress may have to approve it.

Fox News host Bret Baier estimated in an interview with Vice President Vance following Trump’s speech that the cost would be more than $1.3 trillion to the country, noting some critics may allege this amounts to bribery.

Vance defended the promise by noting the “extraordinary” amount of revenue that has been raised from Trump’s tariffs and that the American people will “share in the benefit.”

Trump has floated similar ideas before, suggesting last year that he would send out $2,000 tariff dividend checks , but it hasn’t come to fruition.

Another moment of the convention that raised eyebrows came when Democratic Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), who has increasingly been at odds with members of his party, appeared in a video message to introduce his fellow Pennsylvania senator, Dave McCormick (R).

“Why am I here talking to you today?” Fetterman said. “Because, well, I’m a commonsense Democrat.”

He praised McCormick as “the kind of senator who gets the job done.” The two of them have grown increasingly close in recent months and even teamed up earlier this year to launch a joint fundraising committee .

Fetterman said in the video that he would always “reject the extremes in socialism and the anti-American way of life.”

He has been on the outs with many Democrats over bucking the party on key votes and criticizing colleagues to his left. Most recently, he has fallen under scrutiny over a Wall Street Journal report featuring accusations from his former staffers about his alleged lack of commitment to his job responsibilities.

Still, Fetterman confirmed Wednesday that he still plans to caucus with the Democrats in the Senate, as he has said before.

“I’m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party—and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on,” he said.

Cabinet members’ appearances break with norms

In a move that has become commonplace for the Trump administration but is historically rare, several Cabinet members made appearances at the convention, and more are expected today.

That breaks with longstanding norms in which members of the Cabinet generally stay away from overtly political events. Cabinet members are political appointees but are ostensibly prohibited under the Hatch Act from using their offices for political campaign activities.

Among those who appeared on Wednesday were Attorney General Todd Blanche , Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent , Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz .

The members were notably not introduced by their Cabinet positions as they walked to the podium on stage. For example, Rollins was introduced simply as “the honorable” while Blanche didn’t have any introduction.

Still, the members tore into Democrats as they touted the president and Republicans’ accomplishments.

Blanche focused on the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, praising Trump and Vance for their approach. Former Attorney General Eric Holder ripped his successor on Tuesday, calling the planned speech “unprecedented” and “disgraceful.”

“To evil men and women in this country, know this. President Trump will hold you accountable,” Blanche said last night, thanking “Americans for choosing to make our country safe again.”

“They will start by undoing the tremendous achievements of the past two years,” Rollins predicted if Democrats win in November. “The border that has been closed, they will reopen it immediately.”

In 2020, the Office of Special Counsel found multiple Trump officials violated the Hatch Act at that year’s RNC.

▪ The Hill : The elephant in the room at the RNC: Trump’s money.

▪ The Hill : House GOP leaders take aim at ‘crazy communists’ in speeches.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. A memorial is being held today at the university.

Missouri’s redistricting battle returned to the Supreme Court again Wednesday after an appeals court refused to halt a federal judge’s order greenlighting Republicans’ favored congressional map. Here’s an explainer on where the legal battle currently stands .

Steve Feinberg, the low-profile deputy Defense secretary , was interviewed as part of the FBI’s investigation into a CIA officer found with $40 million worth of gold bars at his home, according to NBC News . Feinberg, a private equity titan, had a long professional relationship with David Rush, the intelligence officer accused of running a long con.

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee speaks at the local Democratic Party headquarters in Johnston, R.I., Nov. 7, 2022. (David Goldman, Associated Press file)

ONE AND DONE: Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) lost his primary election last night to a fellow moderate, former CVS executive Helena Foulkes , whom the governor narrowly defeated in the 2022 primary.

The governor’s downfall is closely linked to his handling of the repairs to the critical Washington Bridge in Providence, which was abruptly closed in 2023, fueling added costs for the state and traffic delays ever since.

The situation made McKee one of the least popular governors in the country: A University of New Hampshire poll from August found his approval rating at only 22 percent among Democrats. The same poll showed Foulkes dominating McKee in a hypothetical primary match-up — 56 percent to the governor’s 18 percent.

McKee is currently on track to lose by about 25 points, as of the latest vote count.

Even though the odds were not good for the Democratic governor ahead of this week’s primary, his defeat is notable as a rare example of a sitting governor losing a reelection bid.

Since 1948, roughly 75 percent of sitting governors won their reelection campaigns, and their success rate has only increased since: from 1948 to 1979, 68 percent of incumbent governors won; from 1980 to 2013, 79 percent won; and from 2014 to 2025, 90 percent won.

Sitting governors who lose their renomination bids are even rarer, with just three examples since 2010: former Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) in 2010, former Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) in 2014 and former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) in 2018.

▪ The Hill : Three takeaways from the primaries.

▪ The Hill : Democratic socialist ousts Providence mayor in primary.

BUYBACK REBUFFED : The 10-year yield rose to its highest level in nearly three years, rebuffing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent ‘s latest effort to push down long-term interest rates.

Bessent announced Wednesday that the Treasury Department would buy back $6 billion of government debt maturing in 10 to 20 years, making good on his promise last month to at least double the standard size of $2 billion per buyback operation.

But some economists said Wall Street likely expected the size of the announcement to be bigger, as much as $7 or $8 billion, which helps explain the market response.

Following the announcement, the 10-year Treasury yield rose 0.05 percentage points — topping 4.85 percent, before settling back around 4.82 percent. The buyback operation will take place this afternoon.

▪ The Hill : 10-year Treasury yields hit multiyear high.

▪ CNBC : Bessent’s political turn tests bond market credibility.

CLOSING OFF : A new proposal from the Trump administration could exclude millions of U.S. residents from the census.

Under the proposed rule posted in the Federal Register on Wednesday, only U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents would be included, leaving out others such as those without lawful status and in the country on a temporary lawful basis, including refugees and people seeking asylum.

The proposal states they should be excluded because they are not “true inhabitants, members of the body politic, or persons with a ‘usual residence’ in the United States due to their lack of a sufficient tie and allegiance to the United States.”

The provision will likely face a legal challenge, as the Constitution’s 14th Amendment states that representatives should be apportioned to the states based on the “whole number of persons” in each state.

The proposal would also drop some questions about race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.

▪ Roll Call : Census overhaul could reshape Congress.

APPLE’S NEW ERA : Apple kicked off a new chapter Wednesday as it unveiled its first foldable iPhone and new CEO John Ternus made his debut appearance.

The long-awaited iPhone Duo will be available on Oct. 23 and retail at $1,999 — the most expensive sticker price yet for an Apple iPhone.

The Duo is a book-style foldable, featuring a bendable display. About the size of a passport, users will be able to view two screens that the company says will be the largest display ever.

Ternus, who had been serving as Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, formally took over for Tim Cook as CEO last week, marking the first leadership change in a decade and a half. Cook has taken a new role as executive chair.

“We brought together thoughtful design with breakthrough engineering in a way only Apple can, and the result is a series of remarkable innovations that we believe will redefine the experience of using a foldable phone,” Ternus said at the launch event.

▪ The Hill : Five takeaways from the event.

HOLIDAY GIFTS : The president gifted White House aide Natalie Harp and two other aides $45,000 cash for Christmastime, according to financial disclosures released by the administration last week.

The payments were made to Harp, who has received significant public scrutiny recently over her close ties to the president, Margo Martin and Chamberlain Harris . All three receive an annual taxpayer-funded salary of $150,000, meaning the gifts equaled almost a third of their salary.

Another White House employee, Oval Office Operations Director Walt Nauta , received a $20,000 gift from Trump.

A federal statute bars federal employees from receiving supplemental income in addition to their salaries, but a White House spokesperson denied these gifts violated any law.

“The gifts at issue here have nothing to do with any of these individuals’ official government duties, and therefore are entirely permissible under relevant legal and ethical standards,” they said.

▪ Forbes : Why some legal experts think the gifts were illegal.

The president will tour the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, at 1 p.m. EDT and deliver remarks at 1:30 p.m. He will participate in an RNC roundtable in Dallas at 6:15 p.m. and attend the RNC midterm convention at 7 p.m. He will deliver closing remarks at the convention at 9:45 p.m. and then depart Dallas to return to the White House.

The Senate will meet at 3 p.m. for a pro forma session.

The House will convene at 3:30 p.m. for a pro forma session.

Pages from the Anthropic website and the company’s logo are displayed on a computer screen in New York, Feb. 26, 2026. (Patrick Sison, Associated Press)

EXISTENTIAL THREAT : Multiple current and former researchers for the AI company Anthropic have raised eyebrows this week with warnings that the technology has the potential to destroy humanity in the future.

Jacob Coxon , a former researcher for Anthropic and OpenAI, initiated the string of comments Tuesday with a thread on the social platform X in which he accused the companies of “gambling with our lives.” He said he resigned from Anthropic on the same day he made the post.

“The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade,” he said.

Coxon said many at OpenAI haven’t “deeply internalized the civilizational stakes,” while Anthropic leaders understand the stakes but believe no one else will act responsibly, so they must move forward despite the risks.

Several current Anthropic researchers quickly echoed Coxon’s warnings.

Evan Hubinger , who leads alignment science for Anthropic, said on X that “we really do believe AI could kill all humans.” He said he personally believes the chance is greater than 10 percent in the next decade.

He said Anthropic is trying its best, but the company doesn’t yet have a plan to ensure superintelligence stays aligned with human interests.

Samuel Marks , the head of scalable oversight for the company, said AI developers believe their technology could cause “human extinction” in the next few years.

“I work on safety research at Anthropic because I hope my work will reduce the chance of these extinction-level bad outcomes,” he said.

The comments are the latest warnings about the potential dangers that AI could pose, though development has continued full steam ahead. More than 1,300 employees at top AI companies signed onto an open lawyer in July calling on the federal government to support an international effort to pace automated AI development.

Anthropic and OpenAI both supported that effort, but are still racing against each other and other companies to develop AI technology and secure more funding.

▪ The Hill : Lawmakers sound alarm on AI dangers.

▪ The Hill : Public anger over AI boom triggers GOP midterm worries.

A motorboat passes a general cargo ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sept. 6, 2026. (Vahid Salemi, Associated Press)

READY TO FIGHT BACK : Iran appears poised to fight back against growing U.S. leverage in the Strait of Hormuz, sending gas prices to their highest levels in months amid renewed concerns of escalating fighting, The Hill’s Ellen Mitchell and Laura Kelly report .

Oil prices rose to more than $100 a barrel Wednesday for the first time since July, with national gas prices averaging just above $4.22, up from $4.15 a gallon on Tuesday and $4.12 a gallon a week ago.

The Trump administration has worked to open passageways through the strait to usher oil out, and more ships have been making it through the vital passageway. But as the U.S. targeted Iranian vessels trying to export oil, American assets and allies in the region came under renewed attack, escalating fears of a renewed conflict.

Experts tell Mitchell and Kelly that the fighting is only likely to increase in the near term and the U.S. cracks down.

“Ironically, the harder the U.S. pushes to get the strait back open, the harder Iran pushes back, leading to heightened escalation, fewer ships passing, and higher oil prices as a result,” said Mona Yacoubian , director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

Trump brushed off questions Wednesday about the high oil prices, telling reporters he thinks Iran is holding out until after the midterm election to come to the table.

“Yes, a negotiation could possibly happen, but it’s not something we’re looking at. This war will immediately end after our election,” Trump said, adding that he expects oil prices “to be tumbling downward” after the midterms.

He also warned more attacks on Iran were coming: “You’re going to see a lot more.”

▪ The Hill : Iran attacks vessels, US base in Jordan after tankers sunk.

▪ The Hill : US sanctions Iranian airlines, foreign businesses.

25 years after 9/11, we’re still fighting the last war , Jay Rogers writes in The Hill.

Flock cameras and TSA searches are making our 4th Amendment a dead letter , Brian Darling writes in The Hill.

People attend the Republican convention, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Associated Press)

And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for the weekly news quiz!

The GOP’s midterm convention is making history as its first. So this week’s quiz will convene a few key questions about party gatherings of the past.

Be sure to email your responses to jgans@thehill.com — please add “Quiz” to your subject line.

The Democratic Party has held midterm conventions in the past. Who was the last sitting president to serve during a midterm convention?

How many midterm conventions has the Democratic Party held?

For which presidential race was the first national political party convention held?

Which city has hosted the most party conventions?