6 minPolitics
Trump to headline both nights of GOP midterm convention in Dallas
President Donald Trump will deliver the keynote address on both nights of the first-ever Republican midterm convention in Dallas, as the party seeks to energize its base ahead of November's elections.
President Donald Trump will serve as the primetime headliner on both nights of the Republican National Committee's first-ever midterm convention this week in Dallas, according to a speaking schedule released Tuesday. The president is tentatively set to deliver the keynote address Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET and will return Thursday evening to close out the gathering at the American Airlines Center, following remarks by Vice President JD Vance.
The convention comes with less than two months until the midterm elections, as Republicans aim to energize their base ahead of key races that will determine whether the party keeps control of Congress. Party leaders have noted that supporters of the president traditionally do not turn out in robust numbers when Trump is not on the ballot, making the convention a strategic effort to drive enthusiasm.
Democrats and Republicans typically hold large nominating conventions during presidential election years, but Trump floated the idea of a similar gathering ahead of the midterms to showcase the policy achievements he and Republicans in Congress have produced over the past two years. The president called the convention «a truly Historic Event» and «a RALLY like none other!» when he announced it earlier this summer.
The gathering comes as Republicans face energized Democrats and stiff political headwinds while defending their slim House and Senate majorities. Party officials expect to use the convention to spotlight what they describe as the Democrats' leftward lurch and to tie the entire Democratic Party to far-left and socialist proposals.
«The midterm election is about the future of our country. President Donald Trump and Republicans are fighting to launch the golden age of America while extreme liberal Democrats want to tear this country apart and create a liberal failed state with their out-of-touch and anti-American views,» Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters argued in a statement. Gruters emphasized that «the choice is clear in November and the American people will reject these liberal policies and deliver historic wins for Republicans across the country.»
The Democratic National Committee, which remains in debt and decided against holding a similar convention, sees the GOP gathering as an opportunity to attack Republicans. «While everyday Americans struggle to pay their bills, fill up their tanks, or put food on the table, Republicans are hosting a multi-million dollar celebration to satisfy an aging and erratic Trump and tie vulnerable Republican candidates closer to his failed agenda,» DNC Rapid Response Director Kendall Witmer charged. Witmer argued that «Americans don't want a 'Trumpapalooza' — they want lower costs and affordable healthcare.»
The convention will also serve as the GOP's closing argument heading into November. In the fight for the Senate majority, Republican candidates in some of the most crucial races will address the convention. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the GOP nominee facing Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. John Cornyn, will speak on the first evening, as will former RNC Chair Mike Whatley, who is defending retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis' seat in battleground North Carolina.
Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, who is in a pitched fight with former longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, will also address the crowd, as will Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, the Republican challenger taking on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in swing state Georgia. Former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, who is hoping to flip a Democrat-held open seat in the key Great Lakes battleground as he runs against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, speaks on Thursday evening.
In the battle for the House, where the GOP holds a razor-thin majority, incumbents and candidates in competitive races will also be in the speaking spotlight. They include Reps. Monica De La Cruz of Texas, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, and candidates Mike LiPetri of New York and Jay Feely of Arizona on Wednesday night. Among the House Republicans speaking Thursday are Reps. Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York, along with nominees Greg Cunningham of New Mexico, Derrick Merrin of Ohio and Eric Flores of Texas.
Speaker Mike Johnson will speak on Thursday evening, according to the RNC schedule. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is notably absent from the list of speakers, but a source familiar with the planning said Thune will be in Dallas with a full schedule that includes helping Senate candidates fundraise. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who is running for a fourth term, speaks on Thursday, as does Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who is not on the ballot this year but could make a second White House bid in 2028.
Several of Trump's Cabinet members are scheduled to speak, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday evening, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who spearheaded the Make America Healthy Again movement, on Thursday.
