President Trump emphasized his administration's tough-on-crime approach, vowing to end cashless bail and increase the use of the death penalty.
Page A3From§Eachthe wee small hours edition — 10 September 2026
Trump’s midterm convention promises $5K cash, fee cuts, tougher bail, death penalty, and a healthcare crackdown
At the GOP midterm convention (23), Trump promises a cash payment of $5,000 to all adults if Republicans keep Congress (10). That’s not the only offer: he pledges to slash ‘out-of-control’ credit card swipe fees (8), vows to end cashless bail and increase death penalty use (9), and proposes a new healthcare plan that cracks down on insurance companies (6). The official line is a parade of promises, each aimed at a different pocket: cash for your wallet, fee cuts for your cards, punishments for bail, penalties for crime, and a healthcare plan aimed at insurers. The beats stack up: each promise arrives as a headline, but the fine print never lands. The column collapses under its own weight—the defense is a list of offers that sound good on TV, but the receipts show the punchline: the cash, the fees, the penalties are campaign props, not policy. The convention is a product launch for promises, and the only thing delivered is the headline.
“The midterm convention’s pitch is simple: buy your vote with cash, cut swipe fees for the big guys, crank up the death penalty, and call it healthcare. If you’re waiting for real coverage or lower bills, the only thing getting slashed is your expectations. The stakes? The plan to fix your hospital bill is a campaign ad, and the fine print is written in penalties.”
“This is just the president delivering on the promises Americans care about—lower fees, a crackdown on crime, and a healthcare plan that finally takes it to the insurance companies. And if people get $5,000 for voting the right way, that’s just good politics. Did I say that? That doesn’t sound like me. Anyway, who doesn’t want free money and tougher law enforcement?”
The receipts
"We will pass the Great Healthcare plan to stop all government payments to big insurance companies, and give the money directly to the people, for you to buy your own healthcare and have money left over."
24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events
Trump is pushing to end cash bail, seal the border for good and pass a healthcare plan if Republicans are given two more years of control.
“We will not allow Americans to pay seven to eight times more in those fees than they do in other countries — much like I solved favored nations."
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.