Donald Trump Claims the U.S. Wouldn't 'Even Exist’ If He Had Lost 2024 Election

During a keynote speech at a Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, September 9, President Donald Trump claimed that the United States "might not even exist" today if he had lost the 2024 presidential election.

Urging support for Republican candidates ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, the 80-year-old president argued that before his victory in 2024, the country was "going down the drain" due to what he described as "stupid policies.”

“Their policies are, you know, they're common sense. I heard so many of the wonderful politicians who spoke... It's really about common sense more than anything else. It's not about stupid policies that led us down the drain. We were going down the drain. If we hadn't won the last election, I'm not sure that our country right now would even exist. It was going so bad,” he said.

Fact-checkers and critics quickly dismissed Trump's statement that the U.S. "might not even exist" if he had lost the 2024 election as mere opinion and political hyperbole, noting that the country's existence does not hinge on any single leader.

Political analysts and media outlets noted that this statement aligns with a long-standing pattern of doomsday rhetoric Trump uses to frame the stakes of American presidential elections.

During a campaign rally in Ohio in March 2024, he warned of an economic "bloodbath" for the U.S. auto industry and the country at large if he was not elected.

At a separate campaign stop, he predicted that a loss in the 2024 general election would mean the "likely end of American democracy" and that the public wouldn't "have another election in this country.”

In later remarks, he claimed that if his party had not won, America would have been "lost forever" due to economic issues, immigration and global conflicts.

During the midterms speech on Wednesday, Trump focused heavily on rallying support for congressional and senatorial incumbents. In an effort to secure Republican control of Congress, he made a highly publicized — and heavily criticized — pledge to send a $5,000 cash payment to every American adult if the GOP retains control of both the House and the Senate in the midterms.

In November 2025, Trump floated a $2,000 "tariff dividend" check for low- and middle-income Americans. However, that proposal stalled after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down many of his sweeping tariffs

Nonpartisan experts — such as David Becker from the Center for Election Innovation and Research — pointed out a glaring logical gap, asking, "You control both houses now. Why not deliver on this promise now?" instead of making it contingent on the 2027 legislative session.

Economic commentators noted that the pledge would cost the federal government roughly $1.3 trillion.

Trump did not explain how the payout would be funded, and market analysts reported that financial markets ignored the speech, remaining "unconvinced" it would ever happen.

Analysts from media outlets argued that the newly minted "midterm convention" (dubbed Trump-a-palooza) was designed as a "sham" to serve Trump’s own ego rather than help down-ballot candidates.

They criticized his nearly two-hour address for straying from a cohesive GOP message into personal grievances, physical critiques of Texas politicians and historical sports trivia.