Four takeaways from Trump’s speech at midterms convention

Trump has long thrown out unconventional ideas at rallies. On Wednesday night, that came in the form of an offer to pay every adult US citizen $5,000 (£3,700) if Republicans win both chambers of Congress in November.

The only caveat, Trump said, was the money would have to be spent in the US.

He offered no details on how the plan would work, where the money would come from, or how the US government would monitor how it was spent. Democrats quickly labelled it an “empty promise” and others questioned whether such a pledge was even legal.

There are nearly 270 million American adults, which means a $5,000 payout would cost the US government some $1.3 trillion.

Whether the plan was possible or not appeared to be beside the point. The idea drew raucous applause at the convention and Trump seemed to relish the moment.