US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threw his full weight behind Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy at a campaign rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, just six days before the November 3 midterm elections. Trump brought Ramaswamy onto the stage, predicted a Republican victory, and renewed a sweeping pledge to pay every adult American citizen $5,000 if the GOP wins both chambers of Congress.

Trump's Endorsement and Rally Message

“Six days from now, the people of Ohio are going to elect Vivek Ramaswamy as your governor,” Trump told supporters, according to the rally transcript. He repeatedly urged voters not to take victory for granted, framing the Ohio race as integral to preserving his national agenda. Trump also defended Ramaswamy against what he characterised as unfair media treatment and attacked Democratic opponent Amy Acton's record and political positions.

The Chillicothe event effectively merged the state-level gubernatorial contest with Trump’s broader push to elect Republicans to Congress, allowing Ramaswamy a high-profile platform to address the president’s core supporters in the campaign’s closing stretch.

Ramaswamy's Pledges: Property Tax and Sanctuary Cities

Given the floor by Trump, Ramaswamy framed the race around which candidate would materially improve voters’ lives. He promised what he described as the biggest property-tax relief package in Ohio’s history if elected, though he provided no figures, financing plan, or legislative timetable for the proposal. He also pledged to end sanctuary cities in Ohio — presenting it as a state-level extension of the Trump administration’s immigration policy — and said he would act by executive order on his first day in office.

“President Trump puts Americans first,” Ramaswamy told the crowd. “I’m going to put Ohioans first.” Both commitments were campaign promises; no enacted tax measure or new state immigration order was announced at the rally.

Ramaswamy also attacked Acton’s handling of the state’s response to Covid, seeking to tie her record to voter anxieties about government overreach — a theme that has run through Republican messaging nationally.

The $5,000 Dividend Pledge

Trump reiterated a striking financial promise during the rally: “If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I am going to give all adult citizens in the United States $5,000.” He described the proposed payment as a “dividend,” put its total cost at approximately $1 trillion, and said recipients should spend the money inside the United States. He did not outline a payment schedule or a detailed funding mechanism at the event.

The pledge is conditional on full Republican control of Congress and has not been legislated. Critics have questioned both its fiscal basis and its constitutionality, though no formal opposition response was included in the rally remarks.

Trade, Manufacturing, and Turnout Appeal

Beyond the headline pledges, Trump promoted his tariff and domestic manufacturing agenda, arguing that his trade policies incentivise companies to produce in America and protect household incomes. He linked these arguments to Republican congressional candidates across the ballot, urging supporters to vote the full ticket.

With Ramaswamy and Acton contesting the Ohio governorship on November 3, the outcome will be closely watched as a bellwether for Trump’s coattail effect in a swing state. All eyes now turn to election day.