Diesel Prices Surge, Prompting Another Cash Payout Pledge of $500 per Person

[Anchor]

As the war with Iran drags into a quagmire, the average price of diesel in the U.S. has hit a record high. This marks a mounting series of bad news for President Trump with less than two months left before the midterm elections, yet he unveiled yet another cash handout pledge today (September 11).

Reporting from Dallas, this is Jeon Byeong-nam.

[Reporter]

On the second day of the Republican convention held in the party stronghold of Texas, U.S. President Trump repeated his pledge to give 5,000 dollars to every adult if the Republican Party wins both the Senate and the House in the midterm elections.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President : We call it the "Trump Dividend." It's a 5,000 dollar payment to every adult American citizen.]

He stated that the tariff revenues would serve as the funding source, sending his enthusiastic base, MAGA, attending the convention into a frenzy.

[Ryan Cyriac / Texas : It's a great story. I don't think anyone would turn down 5,000 dollars.]

[Ever Is / Texas : It's definitely an interesting topic. I'm curious to see how it will be implemented.]

Even within the Republican Party, criticisms are emerging that this amounts to vote-buying. However, amid the fallout from the Iran war pushing diesel prices past a record-breaking 6 dollars per gallon and approval ratings remaining stuck at historic lows,

Trump rolled out an additional pledge to return 500 dollars per person to 1 million people across 30 states for health insurance premiums he claims were overcharged during the Biden administration.

Trump emphasized that his administration is doing the right thing, claiming that the previous Biden administration investigated the matter entirely but failed to return the money.

It is an attempt to win back voter sentiment, even if it means splashing cash on voters.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President : You know what happens if you don't vote? You're going to Hell, you know that. You know? You're going to Hell.]

However, forecasts continue to pile up that the Democratic Party will recapture at least the House of Representatives.

Democratic supporters held counter-protests for the second consecutive day near the Republican convention venue.

Clashes occasionally erupted at the protest sites between Trump supporters and anti-Trump demonstrators.

[Jimmy / Dallas : We are protesting against the Republican Party. That is not a convention. It's just a flashy Trump rally.]

During the convention speeches that concluded today, some participants even made remarks inciting sniper attacks, saying that the Democratic candidate should be shot.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Jeon Byeong-nam | Video by Oh Jung-shik | Video Editing by Kim Byung-jik | Graphics by Han Heung-soo
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.