Welcome to our live coverage of US politics and Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Texas.

US Vice President JD Vance has attempted to rationalise the $US5000 handout President Donald Trump has promised every adult if the Republicans win the midterm elections.

Speaking to Fox News, Mr Vance said the idea wasn’t a controversial one and that it was needed for “middle class Americans”.

He went on to explain it as a dividend paid to workers from revenue generated by the administration’s tariff policies.

The eye-watering promise was made in the first of the three speeches the President is expected to give at the convention in Dallas as the Republicans stare down the barrel of electoral defeat at November’s crucial elections.

President Donald Trump arrives at the Republican convention. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Pictures from the venue showing rows of empty seats across the arena.

The event has been dubbed ‘Trumpaplaooza’.

Mr Trump also used that address to predict victory in Iran and claimed oil prices would fall once the fighting was over.

“Food prices and almost every other item are rapidly going down. And by the way oil will be going down as soon as we win the war with Iran, which is taking place right now,” Mr Trump said.

“We’ll win it.”

The Republican National Convention (RNC) – being held from 9-10 September, US time – is being dubbed “Trumpaplaooza” by the party bigwigs.

They hope the jamboree will get MAGA supporters voting, who often have less enthusiasm when Donald Trump is not on the ballot, as will be the case for the midterms.

Democrats will be hoping centrist Republicans and swing voters, tired of high petrol prices and the Iran war, will see Mr Trump’s very glitzy event and turn away from the party.

'Not controversial': Vance defends $5k promise

US Vice President JD Vance has defended President Donald Trump’s eyebrow-raising promise to give $5000 to “every adult citizen” if the Republicans win the midterm election.

Attempting to add more context to the radical vow, Mr Vance suggested the payment – which could cost more than US$1.2 trillion ($1.67 trillion) – would essentially distribute revenue the country has made through the administration’s tariffs.

“What the President’s talking about is fundamentally a dividend for American workers,” he told Fox News.

“We’re taking in an extraordinary amount of revenue because the President of the United States is actually standing up to both foreign companies, but also foreign countries who’ve been taking advantage of America’s workers.”

He said he didn’t think the $5000 payment was a controversial idea and that it was needed “for the American middle class”. It was unclear whether he meant only the middle class would be receiving the payments, contrary to Mr Trump’s promise that it would be given to “every” adult citizen.

“What the President’s just saying is, ‘If you keep it going to the American people, if you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you’re going to share in some of the benefit of this incredible wealth that we’re creating in the United States of America’,” he said.

Mr Vance’s efforts were met with some ridicule on social media where it was suggested he was trying to “sanewash Trump’s insane ramblings”.

It remains to be seen whether the payments, which would require congressional approval, would be legal or be considered a bribe under US law.

Trump says if Republicans win election, all Americans will get $5000

Donald Trump has said the government will pay Americans a “dividend” of $US5000 to every adult if the Republicans win the elections.

“And here is my promise: if the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our tremendous economic success,” he said.

“Economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.

“But the only condition on the payment of this dividend that we’re going to be making… is that it must be spent in the United States of America.

”We don’t want you going to Canada to spend the money. We don’t want you going to China to Germany. We got to spend the money in the United States of America.”

How Mr Trump would ensure any money was spent in the US is not clear.

It’s almost certain a straight handout to people based on an election result would be challenged.

Multiple US aircraft reportedly damaged by Iranian strikes

Iran is intensifying confrontational actions against the United States in the hope of further raising the cost of the conflict for President Donald Trump less than two months ahead of the US midterm elections, analysts say.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they targeted 10 vessels that were attempting to cross a prohibited zone created by the regime in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Guards also said they struck a US military base in Jordan in response to US forces destroying five Iranian oil tankers a day earlier.

CBS News reported that roughly eight US F-15 aircraft sustained light damage in the Iranian strikes.

Mr Trump declared on Wednesday: “I think the war will end immediately after the election” because Iran “can’t hold out any longer”.

However, on the streets of Tehran, there is no let-up from the ideology of confrontation, with banners proclaiming “we will kill Trump” and showing coffins of American forces being brought home, according to AFP images.

“Iran perceives that it is winning the war and that the US is losing,” Thomas Juneau, professor at the University of Ottawa, told AFP.

“It perceives a window of opportunity to exploit US weakness and vulnerability to reshape the regional order to its benefit,” he added.

Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at UK-based think tank Chatham House, said Iran “is trying to convert escalation into increased leverage”.

“Tehran believes that pressure on Hormuz and the threat of wider disruption can exploit US vulnerabilities, especially the political and economic costs of another Middle East crisis ahead of the midterms,” she added.

Iran believes that ahead of the midterms “the US is constrained from escalating and because of that, an easily distracted President Trump is ceding the momentum to Iran,” said Juneau.

A new prohibited zone in the Strait of Hormuz was announced on state television on Sunday by Mohsen Rezaei, new head of Iran’s supreme national security council, one of several veteran hardliners elevated to key posts by the still unseen Mojtaba Khamenei.

“We don’t trust the United States, and we will not take further steps unless they engage in trust building measures… They need to deliver,” Rezaei, wearing a full military uniform, declared confidently.

Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi on Wednesday issued a string of demands for ending the war, ranging from the withdrawal of Israeli forces operating in south Lebanon to the release of some $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets.

Iran is hoping that bruising Trump ahead of the midterms could prompt his Republicans to lose control of the House of Representatives and even the Senate, reducing the president to lame duck status for the last two years of his presidency, analysts say.

“Iran cannot defeat the United States militarily,” said Ali Alfoneh, a senior fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute.

“Instead, Tehran hopes to weaken President Trump politically by contributing to a Republican defeat in the midterm elections – keeping gasoline prices high and reminding American voters that the president has entangled the United States in the very ‘never-ending war’ he promised to avoid,” he added.

Trump beats chest over Iran war

Donald Trump has used the opening night of the Republican Party’s unusual midterm convention to promise Americans a cash cow.

He also attempted to mount a defence of the highly controversial Iran war, which has continued to drive rusted-on Republicans away from MAGA.

Reuters/Ipsos has his overall approval at just 33 per cent, while only 27 per cent approve of his handling of Iran and 61 per cent disapprove. Another 83 per cent expect the military involvement to drag on, while AP-NORC found roughly two-thirds believe the war has not been worth fighting.

It’s a disaster for the voters who were sold on Trump’s promise of “no new wars” just two years ago.

Speaking in Dallas, the US President predicted victory over Tehran and claimed oil prices would fall once the fighting was won.

“Food prices and almost every other item are rapidly going down. And by the way oil will be going down as soon as we win the war with Iran, which is taking place right now,” Trump said.

“We’ll win it.”

He remains adamant in denying the Iranian regime, which is known to fund terror groups across the Middle East, a nuclear weapon. That goal has supposedly driven the entire campaign, because Trump refuses to allow the US to become a nation that has to play ball with a hostile nuclear power.

“If they had a nuclear weapon, I’d be calling the Supreme Leader and I’d be saying, ‘Mr. Supreme Leader, how are you, sir? Is there anything we can do for you?’ as opposed to bombing the crap out of him,” he said.

“It’s very simple. We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump then turned to the Strait of Hormuz, declaring: “We’re winning it. We control the Hormuz trade. I think we should call the Hormuz Strait, we should call it the Trump Strait. I should get something out of it. The Trump Strait.

“It’s going to be called — ladies and gentlemen, I’ll have an announcement — we’ll call it the Trump Strait, and I’m sure the Iranian leadership will be thrilled with that.”

It was not the first time Trump had floated the rebrand. He raised it online last week, prompting the White House to publish an altered map carrying the name “Trump Strait”.

Trump also claimed Iran was “falling apart” and had been “the bully of the Middle East for 51 years, and they’re not the bully anymore”.

His promise of cheaper oil came only hours after he offered reporters a rather less immediate timetable.

“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump said before travelling to Dallas. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.”

Oil prices have risen again as fighting threatens shipping through Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy routes, adding to political pressure on Trump and Republicans ahead of November’s elections.

AP reported that Brent crude pushed above $US100 a barrel on Wednesday as hostilities intensified.

Trump is expected to return for the convention’s finale on Thursday following an address by Vice President JD Vance.

Eye-watering cost of Trump's wild handout pledge

US network NBC has estimated that Donald Trump’s promise to give all American adults $US500 ($690) if the Republicans win the midterm election could cost taxpayers almost two trillion dollars.

He has called the cash a “Trump dividend”. It’s almost certainly going to be challenged.

There are 270 million adults in the US. if they all get $US5000 that would cost $US1.35 trillions all-in-all – or $1.9 trillion Australian.

Mr Trump did not flesh out how the handout would be paid for, particularly as the US budget is already spiralling.

It should be noted that Mr Trump embraced the concept of “DOGE cheques” for Americans based on the aim that Elon Musk’s DOGE would make $2 trillion of savings in government expenditure. A figure of $US5000 was also bandied about. That amount of money didn’t eventuate and neither did the cheques.

Trump floats law to prevent future presidents from 'opening' US border

As part of a slew of campaign promises, Donald Trump told the Dallas crowd that if the Republicans kept control of Congress a law would be passed making it illegal for future US presidents “to open the border again”. ‘

It would be entitled the “No Invasions Act”.

Mr Trump has made a central achievement of his presidency that unauthorised border crossings from Mexico into the US have virtually stopped.

But it’s unclear what he actually means by making it illegal for presidents to open the border given that by its nature a border is only officially “open” at border crossings.

Mr Trump also flagged the death penalty for large scale drug dealers.

Trump slams Democrats as 'bulls**t'

Donald Trump labelled Democrats as “bulls**t… human beings”.

He was railing against Democrats pushing back against his plans to enforce strict ID rules for voters, rules the opposition has claimed will effectively disenfranchises some voters.

“The Democrats are really good at coming up with excuses.

“They have more bullshit than any other human beings on the planet.”

Empty seats as Donald Trump speaks

There were notably empty chunks of seating at “Trumpapooloza” as Donald Trump gave his set piece speech. But the US President had insisted the arena was “packed” while also conseding there were gaps, but that was just people off to the loo.

Let’s not get carried away – the American Airlines Centre in Dallas is hardly empty and it’s not a small arena. Also, the rafters are often hard to fill.

But as Donald Trump was speaking some of the prized seating right by the arena floor with great views was also empty.

Even close to the fancy seats, where US Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson were sitting, there were scores of seats with no one sitting in them.

At one point, news.com.au heard an organiser telling supporters getting burgers and drinks in the corridors outside prior to Mr Trump arriving that if they didn’t have seats, then some near the floor with a great view had just opened up.

But Mr Trump said it was full.

“Not only is it packed, you have an equal number of people standing outside”.

News.com.au did not see people lining up outside the arena trying to get in.

The US President the seemed to concede there were some empty seats.

“You know, the ‘fake news media’ will see a man looking for the bathroom and they will take a picture of his seat while he’s gone and they will say he did not fill up the arena.

“So, please if you don’t mind,” he told the crowd, “don’t anybody go to the bathroom”.

Trump asks voters to 'pretend'

Donald Trump has taken the stage at the RNC at Dallas to predictable euphoria and chants of “USA, USA”.

He said to Republicans he was “asking them to pretend” he was on the ballot.

That’s because he’s not – it’s not a presidential year. And at midterm elections enthusiasm for the president’s party can often tail off. And with the election being so close the Republicans can’t afford that.

“We’re going to change that, we gotta change that,” he said.

“We have something going that so good we can’t let that go so I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot just one more time because of we lose you will lose your border, you tax cuts, your safety and security”.

Stunning appearance of senior Democrat at Trump fest

Of all the unexpected guests on stage at the Republican National Convention perhaps no one would be as unexpected a senior Democrat.

Step forward John Fetterman, the Democrat senator for Pennsylvania, who via video introduced a speech by his fellow, but very Republican, senator Dave McCormick.

Mr Fetterman had been hailed by the Democrats as its great new hope – someone who was dyed in the wool working class and could appeal across demographics.

But he has increasingly seemed to be leaning more towards the Republicans then his fellow Democrats causing fury in the party.

“Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today? Because well, I’m a common sense Democrat. I’m always going to stand with America,” he said on the video at the Dallas event.

“I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.

“Dave McCormick is the kind of senator that gets the job done, and he’s going to fight for Pennsylvania.”

Mr Fetterman may justify his appearance as simply “common sense” but the Democrats won’t see it that way. They will see it as skirting close to an endorsement of the Republicans. If that’s the case, it would be a betrayal.

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US Republican National Convention live updates: JD Vance explains reasoning behind $5000 handout