Trump Convention Speech, Missouri Contempt And Redistricting, Apple's Foldable iPhone

Michelle Martin (0:02)

President Trump made an offer he hopes you can't refuse, 5,000 taxpayer dollars for every American adult.

Steve Inskeep (0:07)

He promised that giveaway totaling more than a trillion dollars if Republicans keep Congress. Why didn't he say how it would work?

Michelle Martin (0:14)

I'm Michelle Martin, that's Steve Inskeep, and this is Up First from NPR News.

Missouri's top election official could be held in contempt over which congressional map to use in November. A federal judge says use the Republican-drawn map could help the GOP gain another seat. The state supreme court says don't. With less than two months until the midterms, how does this get resolved?

Steve Inskeep (0:36)

Also, Apple has a new CEO and its first foldable iPhone. Opens like a book, costs about $2,000. Unfold your wallet. What's this say about the company's strategy? Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your day.

President Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes at the Republican Party's midterm event.

Michelle Martin (0:59)

He covered a lot of ground. Some things were new. Some were untrue. But his campaign message was clear.

SPEAKER_3 (1:05)

So I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot. I'm on the ballot.

Michelle Martin (1:10)

And with the president's approval rating at an all-time low, Democrats are hoping Trump's strategy will backfire at the polls.

Steve Inskeep (1:16)

NPR's Stephen Fowler was in the arena for the speech and has woken early to tell us about it. Stephen, good morning.

Stephen Fowler (1:22)

Good morning.

Steve Inskeep (1:23)

Tell me a little more about the president's pitch.

Stephen Fowler (1:25)

Well, his pitch was, it's all about Trump. He touted some of the signature initiatives of his second term, like sweeping tax cuts, repeated some go-to lines on how things are more expensive because of Democrats. He claimed the room was packed with thousands of people waiting outside, even though I could see a sea of empty sections in the arena.

Said he was going to campaign for about three dozen swing seats in the final weeks of the election and promised American adults $5,000 each if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate.

Steve Inskeep (1:56)

Okay, $5,000 for every American adult. When you do the math, it's more than $1 trillion in taxpayer money to taxpayers. How's that work?

Stephen Fowler (2:07)

It wouldn't. That money would have to come from somewhere, also known as Congress. It's illegal to offer people money for their vote. Logistically, that amount is about 80% of all discretionary spending the federal government makes each year, which, by the way, the administration is trying to cut spending.

The more obvious obstacle, though, is that public polls show Republicans might lose both the House and the Senate this year.

Steve Inskeep (2:30)

Yeah, I mean, Trump himself in his 90 minutes did acknowledge that Republicans face a tough job. Let's listen.

SPEAKER_3 (2:35)

But for some reason, when a president wins, even if he's really a good president or a great president, there aren't too many of them, they don't win the midterms, and nobody quite knows why.

Steve Inskeep (2:47)

So what's the Republican plan to get around that?

Stephen Fowler (2:49)

This unconventional convention is certainly part of the idea.

But look at it this way. You have this unprecedented party, centered around Trump, 18 months into the administration, dominated by decisions made by Trump that seem to be for Trump. Think about the ballroom construction, renaming landmarks on the map to spite allies, putting his face on a coin. Then look at what voters say they want the Republican-controlled federal government to focus on. Rising gas prices, the war in Iran, expensive everything. So the path is there if the Republican Party maybe changes its course a little.

Steve Inskeep (3:24)

Okay, so what are some of the responses to the speech and what are some of the other things you heard there?

Stephen Fowler (3:28)

Well, aside from Trump, the longest time slots were given to comedian Adam Carolla and Texas Congressman Brandon Gill, who each eviscerated Democrats much to the audience's glee. The loudest applause came for Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and many of the House and Senate nominees used their brief time to try and make the case for more support and resources, in some cases, uphill battles against their Democratic opponents.

Steve Inskeep (3:50)

You know, Michelle alluded to this at the beginning. Democrats seem perfectly happy for Trump to be the spokesman for the Republican Party in 2026

Stephen Fowler (3:58)

Absolutely. I mean, after getting shellacked in 2024, Democrats have seen a surge in voter enthusiasm, made gains with just about everybody. So they've got this scenario where they really could be competitive in a lot of Republican held states, and they're not going to let Trump get in the way and just happy to let them carry that message with them into the election.