Donald Trump doubled down on his pledge to pay all US adults $5,000 if Republicans hold on to control of Congress in the midterm elections. He’s one of the few people to actually mention the pledge tonight, as many lawmakers and officials – including his vice-president, JD Vance – avoided mentioning the so-called “dividend” altogether. Trump defended his plan: “We can do that because our country has never done better. We’re taking in trillions, trillions of dollars.”

In a shorter address to voters than his nearly two-hour speech on Wednesday, Trump again pleaded with voters to “pretend I’m on the ticket” in November. In an improvised pledge of allegiance to himself, Trump directed the audience to commit to voting in the midterm elections at all costs. The president asked Republicans in the arena to repeat: “I don’t care if I’m registered or not. I’m going to try. And cheat like hell like they do.” Trump also told those gathered in Dallas that they would “go to hell” if they didn’t vote.

Earlier, JD Vance urged Republicans who may oppose parts of the Trump administration’s agenda not to abandon the party in November’s congressional races. The vice-president pointed to Charlie Kirk – the conservative activist killed a year ago today – to argue that voters shouldn’t “throw the baby out with the bathwater” over “a policy issue here or there”, an apparent nod to dissent over the Iran war that he avoided naming.

Vance’s speech, in many ways, was an audition for a possible 2028 presidential run. He spent much of his time on stage setting out the threats of the so-called “far left”, listing the administration’s greatest hits and slamming Joe Biden’s tenure in office.

Other cabinet officials and Trump allies addressed the crowd at the hastily organized convention in Dallas. Throughout the night we heard from health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who said the “irony” of his “presence here is inescapable” – a former Democrat from a political dynasty. “I mourn the fact that neither my father nor my uncle would recognize the Democratic party of today,” Kennedy said. Meanwhile, Karoline Leavitt, the former White House secretary, said it felt “much better speaking to a stadium full of patriots than a briefing room full of journalists”.

Meanwhile, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the arena to protest Trump’s policy agenda. Dallas police said that two people were taken into custody after an alleged assault involving a counter-protester and for blocking a roadway.

Also today, Trump said that he doesn’t think that Congress would need to approve the $5,000 checks that he wants to cut should Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in November. “The country is doing so well, we’ve taken in trillions of dollars in tariffs and other things,” the president said in an interview with CBS News – inflating the revenue generated from the duties he’s implemented. However, any money generated from tariffs is deposited to the US treasury, and then allocated by Congress through legislation.