Republican midterm convention live updates: Trump honors Charlie Kirk as widow Erika looks on

Erika Kirk attended President Trump’s speech at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas — and was recognized by the commander-in-chief — on the eve of the one-year anniversary of her husband’s assassination. 

“Exactly one year ago tomorrow, a far-left extremist assassinated my great friend and conservative voice, Charlie Kirk — because Charlie Kirk spoke the truth,” Trump said. 

“What shocked millions of Americans was not only the fact that Charlie was murdered — as bad as it was — but also how many people made an excuse for it or cheered for it,” the president continued. “They were cheering, some people, sick people.” 

Trump added, “I just want to say we love you. Charlie.” 

The president then revealed: “And Erika is here.”

“And I think Erika is going to be here tomorrow, too,” Trump said. “She’s put up with something. Boy, oh, boy. What she’s had to go through. And it was a beautiful family. 

“It’s just terrible.”

Ericka Kirk was seated in the VIP box with Vice President JD Vance and other Trump administration officials.

DALLAS — President Trump once again trashed Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico, claiming the Democrat once “ran a campaign to beat meat.”

Read more Trump vows to pass ‘The Great Healthcare plan’ cracking down on insurance companies

“He was also somebody that hated eating meat. But he ran a campaign to beat meat. He called it beat meat. I don’t know what the hell he meant,” Trump quipped.

Talarico and his campaign have insisted that he’s never been vegan and occasionally released photos of him wolfing down meat.

Trump appeared to be referencing Talarico’s boast in 2022 that his reelection effort was a “non-meat campaign.” It doesn’t appear that Talarico ever had a campaign that used the dirty phrase “beat meat.”

The president’s riff about “Talafreako” drew laughs from the crowd.

President Trump pledged to give every US citizen a $5,000 dividend Wednesday if Republicans keep the House and Senate after the midterm elections. 

“Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic, tremendous economic success …. I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas. 

The president said the so-called “Trump dividend” money must be spent in the US.

DALLAS — President Trump made a not-so-subtle threat to bomb Pickaxe Mountain in Iran amid fears that the Islamic Republic is building a nuclear weapon in the underground facility.

“There’s another place called Pickaxe Mountain,” Trump said. “We may have to give them a shot there, too, because somebody said there was a little movement at the site. We don’t need much. We see everything.”

“I would advise Iran not to get cute because you’ll have to hit them very hard,” he added. “We have no choice. We have no choice.”

The president also acknowledged the criticism he’s received over the spike in gas prices due to the war in Iran after the theocratic regime caused mayhem in the Strait of Hormuz oil chokepoint.

“It’s the state sponsor of terror all over the world,” Trump said. “Considered just about the most evil country, we cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”

DALLAS — President Trump will push for what he dubbed “the Great Healthcare plan,” featuring a crackdown on insurance companies, during his speech at the GOP midterm convention, according to prepared remarks.

Trump’s exact timetable for getting “the Great Healthcare plan” passed through Congress is not immediately clear, but the president is also expected to tease plans to make his policies to reduce prescription drug prices permanent and end surprise medical billing.

“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,” Trump will say, according to a copy his remarks obtained by The Post.

Last year, when the enhanced Obamacare subsidies were set to expire, Republicans floated multiple different proposals for an alternative policy. Trump had gravitated towards the idea of taking the subsidies and giving them directly to consumers rather than going through insurance companies.

Read more Trump vows to end cashless bail and increase death penalty use at Republican midterm convention

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