Story summary
President Donald Trump's midterms convention, a two-day event in Dallas, Texas, has become a focus of attention as Republicans gather to boost enthusiasm ahead of the November elections. However, the event is facing challenges, including low attendance from top Republican leaders, with some citing conflicting obligations or concerns about being associated with an unpopular president.
Only 45 GOP lawmakers are expected to attend, and at least 10 have already skipped the convention, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) who has opted out of making a speech but will still be attending. The convention is also notable for its lackluster seating arrangements, with New York's delegation placed in a less prominent location than usual.
The event, dubbed "Trump-a-Palooza," is intended to rally voters around Trump's record despite his low approval ratings. However, some Republicans are expressing concerns about the timing and focus of the convention, which comes as the party faces increasingly grim forecasts for elections that could cost it control of Congress.
In response, Democrats have announced plans to counterprogram the event, sending their top messengers to highlight the affordability crisis and expose what they call "Trump Cartel corruption." The Democratic National Committee has also criticized the Republicans' decision to hold a midterm convention, calling it a "waste of time" when voters are already making up their minds.
Written for “Trump's Midterm Convention” on 2026-09-09,
grounded in this article and the 22 other(s) covering the same event.
Donald Trump is due to address Republicans tonight at the party’s first ever national convention ahead of the crucial midterm elections, with the GOP hoping to energize voters as it fights to hold its narrow congressional majorities.
asserted
it → address → majorities
The two-day gathering takes place in Dallas, marking a break from the longstanding tradition of holding national conventions only during presidential election years.
“It has never been done before, and will be a truly Historic Event,” Trump said in July while announcing the convention, promising the convention would feature “Great Entertainment”.
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convention → take → Entertainment
Trump first floated the idea for a convention last year, arguing that it would provide an opportunity to showcase his administration’s achievements since he returned to the White House in 2024.
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he → float → 2024
More than 100 House members and candidates are expected, with over 50 speakers or presentations scheduled each night.
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speakers → expect → ?
Trump delivers this evening’s keynote speech and returns for Thursday’s finale after vice-president JD Vance speaks.
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Vance → deliver → finale
Cabinet members, congressional leaders and candidates in closely watched House and Senate races are also on the program.
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members → watch → program
Republicans plan to highlight tax cuts, immigration enforcement, manufacturing and prescription drug prices, while depicting Democrats as dangerously far to the left.
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Republicans → plan → left
In other developments:
Clashing court rulings plunged Missouri’s congressional elections into uncertainty.
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rulings → clash → uncertainty
The US Supreme Court decided not to intervene to reinstate a Donald Trump-backed US House map, upholding a a ruling from the state’s highest state court that prevented the use of the map in the November elections.
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that → decide → elections
But shortly after a federal judge temporarily barred the state from using its old congressional maps in November.
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judge → bar → November
The US military destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after a US navy warship was targeted with ballistic missiles.
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warship → destroy → missiles
Iran had targeted the warship twice over two days, the US Central Command said.
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Command → target → days
The US will ban Canadian dairy products, motorcycles and most alcoholic beverages.
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US → ban → products
The move marked an escalation in the ongoing trade war between the North American countries, and comes just after Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on $20bn in US goods.
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Canada → mark → goods
Congressman Chris Pappas beat back progressive challenger Karishma Manzur in the New Hampshire Democratic primary for US Senate.
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Pappas → beat → Senate
Former senator John E Sununu, who is backed by Trump, won the state’s Republican Senate primary.
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who → back → primary
Lonnie G Bunch III announced he is stepping down as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution after seven years in the role amid Donald Trump’s unprecedented crackdown on the world’s largest museum’s autonomy.
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he → announce → autonomy
On the first day of the fall semester at California State University, Northridge, student organizers holding “Hot People Vote” signs wheeled a bright pink wagon outside the student union.
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People → hold → union
They offered “no strings attached” donuts, heart-shaped sunglasses and voting information for the November general election.
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strings → offer → election
Even though it was 105F outside, dozens of people stopped by to chat with the Donuts + Democracy volunteers and register to vote.
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dozens → stop → volunteers
One student told organizer Dzian Tran that she didn’t plan to vote because she was disillusioned with politics.
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she → tell → politics
Tran chatted with her about how civic engagement is important to democracy and how some elections are won by a margin of only 400 votes.
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elections → chat → votes
As she thanked Tran, the student held her phone up to a QR code to get more information about voting.
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student → thank → voting
About 50 million young people are eligible to vote in 2026, but nearly half are either not registered or civically engaged, according to US Census Bureau data.
uncertain
half → vote → data
After young people shiftedright for Donald Trump in 2024, Democratic-aligned groups have been eager to capture gen Z voters who may be disaffected by politics.
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who → shiftedright → politics
From bringing politicians, celebrities and donuts to campuses to hosting tailgating events, happy hours and street parties, a crop of youth-led and youth-focused organizations are employing fresh tactics to meet gen Z where they are – and luring them in with fun.
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they → bring → fun
Heather Haggarty, who runs Democracy + Donuts with her daughter, said traditional voter engagement strategies such as postcards, clipboards and phone-banking fail with young voters.
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strategies → run → voters
When her two gen Z children suggested taking donuts to a university voter registration event a few years ago, she ended up speaking to more than 100 kids in 90 minutes.
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she → suggest → minutes
Haggarty said the deep-fried snack is akin to “breaking bread”, making zoomers more willing to talk and connect.
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zoomers → say → bread
“Young kids aren’t apathetic,” she said.
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she → say → ?
“They care.
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They → care → ?
But voting isn’t easy and traditional voter engagement can feel transactional and alienating.”
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engagement → feel → ?
Americans are more skeptical of government information than they were a few years ago, with majorities now saying they have little or no trust in federal government information about elections and politics, foreign affairs or the environment, a new poll has found.
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poll → say → elections
The survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USA Facts shows that while mistrust of government information has grown since 2024, it is higher than it was at the end of president Donald Trump’s first term.
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it → show → term
Those suspicions extend to the results of the coming midterm elections.
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suspicions → extend → elections
Only 34% of US adults trust government certifications of election results “a great deal” or “quite a bit,” which is down slightly from 40% in 2024.
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which → trust → 2024
Certification is a typically routine process in which local and state officials confirm the vote count but it has become politicized since Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.
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Trump → confirm → election
Trust in government information has also become more partisan since Trump’s first term, the survey found.
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survey → become → term
Trump gave $45,000 to Natalie Harp and other White House aides as holiday gifts
Donald Trump gave sizable holiday gifts to four White House aides, according to new financial disclosures released by the administration, including $45,000 to executive assistant Natalie Harp.
uncertain
Trump → give → Harp
Communications adviser Margo Martin and deputy director of Oval Office operations Chamberlain Harris also received $45,000, while director of Oval Office operations Walt Nauta received a $20,000 gift.
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Nauta → receive → gift
…and 22 more, not listed.
