Donald Trump is holding a special midterm convention in Dallas, Texas next week, where he will speak on night one and participate in an earlier closing on night two. Despite his low approval ratings, Trump has determined that the midterms must be about him and a referendum on his presidency. The event features many high-profile speakers from Trump's family and administration, including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson. According to Representative Mike Lawler, who is attending the convention, speaking there is "a function of doing the job" rather than endorsing Trump specifically.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has organized a two-day midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, from September 9-10, featuring 109 speakers and events, including speeches by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. The event aims to boost support for the GOP among its base, but some lawmakers are skipping it to campaign in their districts or attend fundraisers.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has announced that Democrats will send four members of his caucus to Texas to counterprogram the convention, highlighting the affordability crisis and exposing Trump Cartel corruption, as well as holding Republicans accountable for their record on costs, Medicaid, and taxes.
Despite President Trump's record-low approval ratings, the RNC is betting that the midterms must be about him and a referendum on his second presidency. The event has been dubbed "Trumpapalooza" by organizers, and Decision Desk HQ projects Democrats to win the House of Representatives by 229 seats to 206, while putting the Senate at a knife-edge 50-50.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will not be giving a speech at the convention, opting instead to attend a fundraiser for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the Senate.
Written for “Midterm Election Strategy” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 5665 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-06
Republican politicians are heading to Texas next week—some of them, anyway.
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some → head → them
At Donald Trump’s behest, the party is holding a special midterm convention in Dallas to celebrate what the president calls “our Tremendous Victories and Success.”
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president → hold → what
On Saturday, he once again hyped the event, writing on Truth Social: “The Greatest RALLY of them all!
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he → hype → them
I’ll be speaking on night one, and hanging around for an earlier closing, and lots of music, on night two!!!
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I → speak → night
In other words, despite his record-low approval ratings, Trump has determined that the midterms must be about him and a referendum on his second presidency—even as GOP lawmakers have made it clear that they desperately do not want that to be the case.
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that → determine → presidency
Trump’s poll numbers have sagged as the midterms approach, due in large part to the unpopularity of the war in Iran and the cost of consumer goods; that’s true even among Republican voters.
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that → sag → voters
And that’s presumably why many GOP lawmakers and candidates would rather not hold a big party celebrating the success of the administration and tying themselves to it just before voters head to the polls.
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voters → ’ → polls
But, as the New York Times recently noted, they also “cannot afford to snub” Trump, or, as a person identified as a “top Republican campaign official” told Axios, “We have no choice.
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We → note → choice
We’re stuck on the boat with him whether we like it or not.
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we → ’re → it
For his part, as is his wont, Trump seems convinced that having a rally where he’s a keynote speaker will solve everything.
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he → seem → everything
While many Republican candidates are reportedly skipping the Dallas convention, plenty will be attending.
uncertain
plenty → skip → convention
On Saturday, the Republican National Committee released a list of speakers for the Dallas event, heavily featuring Trump’s own family and current cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr., HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, among others.
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Committee → release → others
In the release, the RNC also articulated what’s meant to be a unifying message for the proceedings, declaring, “Republicans represent the mainstream, practical values of everyday Americans, while the modern Democrat Party has embraced a fringe, extremely liberal ideological agenda that harms Americans.”
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that → articulate → Americans
Even one attendee struck a rather non-psyched note on the matter.
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attendee → strike → matter
On Sunday, CNN’s Dana Bash asked Rep. Mike Lawler—a New York Republican facing a competitive reelection battle—about his decision to speak at Trump’s convention and align himself “so closely with the president.”
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Bash → ask → president
“It’s not a function of alignment” with Trump, Lawler responded, but rather “a function of doing the job.
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Lawler → ’ → job
In order to get anything done, you have to be able to reach across the aisle, and also work within your own party.”
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you → get → party
As the Dallas Morning News noted, there will be one prominent absence among Trump’s inner circle: Melania Trump is not expected to attend.
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Trump → note → circle
