Late-Night Hosts Skewer Trump's Midterm Convention and $5,000 Promise
Late-night television hosts have widely ridiculed Donald Trump's sparsely attended midterm convention in Dallas, Texas. Despite visual evidence of a half-empty arena, Trump insisted the venue was packed, even begging attendees not to use the restroom to avoid empty seats in photos. Jimmy Kimmel compared the empty venue to a driverless Waymo car and skewered Trump's promise to distribute five thousand dollars to every US adult if Republicans win in November. Kimmel and Daily Show host Michael Kosta dismissed the proposal as a financially disastrous bribe that would severely worsen the national deficit.
Late-night television hosts have seized upon the second day of Donald Trump’s sparsely attended "midterm convention" in Dallas, Texas—an unprecedented event staged by the Republican National Committee at Trump's explicit demand. Analysts and hosts alike noted the sheer redundancy of the gathering, yet the party leadership, as Jimmy Kimmel observed, inevitably capitulated to his whims.
Despite glaring photographic evidence of a half-empty arena, Trump spent the preceding evening on Truth Social aggressively disputing reports of low turnout. His defensiveness carried over into his address, during which he repeatedly asserted that the venue was packed and that "nobody has left." In a particularly bizarre moment, he implored attendees to refrain from using the restroom, lest the media capture images of vacant chairs.
Broadcasting footage of the cavernous venue, Kimmel quipped, "That arena was as empty as a Waymo." He then questioned whether bragging about crowd sizes to empty seats served as the ultimate metaphor for Trump's presidency.
The monologue also targeted Trump's subsequent campaign promise: a proposed five thousand dollar dividend for every adult US citizen, contingent upon a Republican victory in the upcoming congressional elections. Kimmel confessed to spending his day debating whether the gesture constituted a bribe or a lie, ultimately coining the portmanteau "libe" to describe it. He further cautioned that the policy would inflate the federal deficit by one point three trillion dollars, a burden taxpayers would ultimately shoulder.
Concurrently, on The Daily Show, Michael Kosta skewered the proposal's fiscal absurdity. He noted that with a national deficit of negative forty trillion dollars, the US is hardly positioned to distribute dividends. Even Fox & Friends co-host Brian Kilmeade appeared visibly perplexed, tentatively describing the legally dubious plan as "kinda fun."
Take a position. Out loud, if you can.
Four ways to start. Pick one and try saying it before you scroll on.
Tip · Record yourself, use in a notebook, or practice with a language partner.
What did Trump ask attendees to avoid doing during his speech?
Adverbial clause of fear/prevention with 'lest'
The conjunction 'lest' is used in formal English to introduce a clause expressing fear or a possibility that should be prevented.
“In a particularly bizarre moment, he implored attendees to refrain from using the restroom, lest the media capture images of vacant chairs.”
What to know · C1
Try saying this aloud
Scenario: You are analyzing a flawed, high-risk business strategy during an executive board meeting.
- 01“The proposal's fiscal absurdity cannot be overstated.”
- 02“We must act cautiously, lest we damage our brand reputation.”
- 03“It seems we have capitulated to unrealistic demands.”
Register tip · formal
🔑Key Phrases
Indicates an exceptionally low number of participants relative to the size of the venue.
The lecture was sparsely attended, with only three students in the auditorium.
Describes a situation where a group or individual completely surrenders to the arbitrary desires of a leader.
The board inevitably capitulated to his whims, approving the risky expansion.
A formal way to request that people do not go to the toilet.
Passengers are requested to refrain from using the restroom while the aircraft is on the tarmac.
Creating a new word by combining two existing words.
By combining 'television' and 'marathon', they ended up coining the portmanteau 'telethon'.
Sharply and effectively exposed the ridiculous financial nature of a plan.
The economist skewered the proposal's fiscal absurdity during his presentation.
Article Audio — Kokoro TTS
Late-Night Hosts Skewer Trump's Midterm Convention and $5,000 Promise
💬Discussion Questions
Open-ended questions to talk or write about — alone, with a partner, or in class.
- 1
To what extent does political satire serve as an alternative form of journalism in modern society?
Evaluate - 2
Analyze the psychological motivations behind a political leader's public obsession with crowd size.
Opinion - 3
What are the long-term democratic implications of political figures offering direct financial incentives to secure votes?
Predict - 4
How do media outlets and late-night shows select and frame specific visual elements, like empty seats, to construct a political narrative?
Compare - 5
Evaluate the fiscal feasibility and potential inflationary consequences of a $1.3 trillion direct-to-citizen payout.
Evaluate - 6
How do you distinguish between legitimate campaign promises and demagogic bribes in contemporary politics?
Compare - 7
What does the party leadership's capitulation to unprecedented event demands suggest about the internal power dynamics of modern political parties?
Opinion - 8
How does public cynicism regarding political promises affect voter turnout and civic engagement?
Evaluate
News sourced from: The Guardian Culture →. LectoPress rewrites the facts as original graded-reader text for language learners.
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