But this convention was a reminder that Trump still dominates the party and, in the House of Representative at least, he has previously made them bend to his will on policies that don’t chime with traditional conservative positions.
This is not the first time President Trump has made a cash promise to voters. Americans are still waiting for the $2,000 cheques he said they would each receive from the revenue generated from his trade tariffs. And the $5,000 payments that Elon Musk proposed would come from his Doge spending cuts have never materialised.
Trump has delivered on his promise to set up Trump saving accounts with a government contribution of $1,000 for children born during his term in office. And all members of the US military got a payment of $1,776 to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.
Is it a sign that Donald Trump fears that he is on course for a major defeat in November that he feels the need to make this kind of eye-catching election promise?
Despite the president not featuring on the ballot, voters often treat midterm elections as a referendum on the sitting president – and often the party in power struggles.
And less than two months out from election day, Trump faces historically low approval ratings.
His war with Iran has become increasingly unpopular, and its knock-on effects are hitting Americans at the petrol pump. Affordability is still a top issue for voters, and while inflation is down from its post-Covid peak under Joe Biden, it remains stubbornly high.
So does this pledge suggest an element of panic that he pulled this policy out of his back pocket before many of his closest allies had been told about it?
It is undoubtedly a highly unorthodox way of launching a major election pledge.
But Trump’s political success has been built on his norm-breaking way of doing business.
His latest ploy could work – but only if voters believe he is serious about writing them a cheque.
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