As President Trump’s approval ratings decline and the midterm elections approach, Dallas hosted a two-day “Midterm Convention” on Sept. 10 and 11. Despite its name, the event centered on the Republican Party, particularly Trump. It did not resemble the party conventions typically held during presidential election years; there were no nominations, no running mates announced and no ballots cast. The New York Times referred to the event as “Trump-a-palooza.”
The convention featured harsh criticisms of the Democratic Party, with Vice President JD Vance labeling Democrats as the “party of hatred.” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson specifically targeted several liberals, accusing them of promoting an “anti-American agenda.” He mentioned individuals like Hasan Piker, Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Abdul El-Sayed and Zohran Mamdani. Several speakers also used anti-Muslim rhetoric when discussing El-Sayed and Mamdani. In the conclusion of his speech, Vance portrayed Republicans as the “party of common sense” while depicting Democrats as “the party of the crazies.”
On the first day of the convention, Trump claimed that prices were decreasing and stated that every American adult would receive a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if Republicans retained control of the House and Senate. This claim was not echoed by other speakers, including his son, Vance and Johnson. Trump insisted that food and other prices were rapidly dropping, despite the fact that grocery prices had increased by 3.4% and gasoline prices had risen by 31% since January 2025.
The convention paid particular attention to the midterm elections, which could determine which party controls the House and Senate, influencing the direction of the country leading into the presidential election. Currently, the Republican Party holds a six-seat majority in the Senate, with 35 seats up for election in November.
A notable moment occurred when Trump asked the crowd to pledge allegiance to him and encouraged them to commit to voting. “I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try and cheat like hell, like they do,” Trump said, urging the crowd to repeat after him. “I am going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on November 3.” On Thursday night, Trump delivered a lengthy two-hour speech.
However, when asked by Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham whether he intended to campaign harder than before, Trump responded with “no.” He seemed unconcerned when questioned about the potential loss of the Republican hold on Congress. “I’ll block all their bad stuff for two years. It won’t be the same, but I’ll be a blocker; what can I tell you?” Trump said.
