Trump vows to be at centre of US midterms: Republican convention takeaways

Dallas, Texas – United States President Donald Trump has delivered a keynote speech on the first night of the Republican midterm convention, putting himself at the centre of the November vote despite not being on the ballot.

The first-of-its-kind event on Wednesday came as Republicans face a challenging midterm election to hold control of the House of Representatives and Senate. Losing either chamber would represent a major check on Trump’s power.

list of 3 items

list 1 of 3Pro-Israel Democrat John Fetterman makes video appearance at GOP convention
list 2 of 3US states sue Trump over weakening of endangered species protections
list 3 of 3Trump gave aide Natalie Harp a $45,000 holiday cash gift, disclosure shows

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“When I’m on the ticket, Republicans always do very well,” Trump said to a friendly crowd at the American Airlines Center. “But for some reason, when a president wins… even if he’s a really good or great president, they don’t win the midterms.”

“We’re gonna change that,” he said. “So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot.”

Vice President JD Vance was initially set to headline the first night of the convention, an event typically only held during presidential election cycles. No reason was given for the last-minute change. The convention was set to continue into a second night on Thursday.

Here were key takeaways:

Trump promises campaign blitz

Trump’s decision to put himself at the centre of the midterm elections by calling for a midterm convention has been seen as a political gambit, particularly as his approval rating has dipped amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

But Trump on Wednesday promised that he would be a major feature in the final stretch of the race, whether Republican candidates like it or not.

He pointed to about 35 of the most competitive races.

“We can win every one of those races,” he said. “But I’m going to every one of those states for congressman and for senators.”

“We are going to have rallies just like this.”

It might not be welcome news for all candidates in tight races, including several who chose to campaign in their own districts rather than attend the Dallas convention.

Some political insiders have warned that too-close an embrace from Trump could backfire, instead mobilising Democrats who have already turned out in droves throughout the primary season.

Trump also went further, pledging a $5,000 “dividend” to all adult citizens if Republicans maintain control of both chambers. It was unclear if the president could legally make good on the claim.

Trump hails war on Iran despite political fallout

The war on Iran, which Trump launched alongside Israel on February 28, has become a major political liability heading into the midterms.

On Wednesday, Brent Crude oil topped more than $100 a barrel for the first time in July as the war ground into its seventh month. Polls have suggested widespread disapproval of the war and its knock-on economic effects.

None of the speakers preceding Trump brought up the conflict, which was only featured in a brief video montage in the official programming.

Trump, however, leaned into his handling of the war, saying the US was “winning” and in control of the Strait of Hormuz, despite Tehran continuing to restrict transit in the arterial waterway.

He restated his desire to rename the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s maritime oil trade travelled before the war, “the Trump strait”.

Trump also floated further escalation, including a potential strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site.

Embattled Republicans make pitch

The midterm convention serves as an opportunity to introduce Republican candidates to major donors, according to J Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.

“Texas is the epicentre for a lot of GOP campaign cash,” he said. “It’s really a fundraising hub for Republicans”.

On Wednesday, an array of Republicans in tight races took the stage, including Ken Paxton, the current Texas Attorney General who has trailed in the polls behind Democratic challenger James Talarico.

A Talarico victory would be the first time a Democrat won statewide office in Texas since 1994.

“He is the most radical Democrat in Texas history, but he’s also the most well-funded, and that’s why today, I need your prayers, your votes, and your support,” Paxton said, referring to Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian.

“If we lose Texas, we lose the common sense revolution. If we lose the common sense revolution, we lose America,” he said.

Trump took particular time to focus on Paxton.

“He may not dress right, he may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen,” Trump said, as he hailed Paxton as the “greatest attorney general in America”.

Other candidates featured on Wednesday included Monica de La Cruz, a Republican facing a tight Democratic challenge from musician Bobby Pulido to represent her border district in Texas, Senator Jon Husted, who is running against former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, and Republican Mike Collins, who is hoping to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in Georgia.

Pro-Israel Democrat John Fetterman also made a surprise video appearance to introduce Republican Senator Dave McCormick. Neither Fetterman nor McCormick is up for re-election in November.

‘Mainstream versus the extreme’

Wednesday’s programme underscored the Republican messaging likely to define the final stretch of the midterm race.

Speakers repeatedly praised Trump’s approach to immigration, which has seen the southern border effectively closed in parallel with a mass deportation drive.

Several speakers also focused on tax cuts and other provisions of Trump’s signature tax bill passed last year, the One Big Beautiful Bill.

But the rhetoric largely coalesced around the leftward shift seen during the Democratic primary season, exemplified in victories of candidates like progressive Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan and several Democratic Socialist of America (DSA)-aligned candidates.

Speakers throughout the night framed the election as a referendum on “radicals”, “socialists” and “communists”. No candidates currently running in either party self-identify as communists.

Republican Representative Brandon Gill called the vote “mainstream versus the extreme”.

He specifically referenced DSA-aligned candidates Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez in New York. He said Talarico would “hollow out your most deeply held Christian faith and wear it like a skin suit”.

He also condemned El-Sayed’s support from streaming personality Hasan Piker, who was repeatedly referenced throughout the night for his past comments related to the September 11, 2001, attacks. Piker has maintained that the comments were taken out of context.

“There’s another political movement in our country right now that doesn’t believe that America is or ever was great,” he said. “They sometimes call themselves socialists. Some even call themselves communists. But most of them simply go by Democrats.”

An uphill battle, especially in Texas

The night’s programming resembled a Trump rally more than a party convention, with several of Trump’s most prominent appointees, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, taking the stage.

Many of those in attendance said they remained true believers in Trump’s message.

“I feel like he has stood and made us more of a power in the world, when before, I think we were almost laughed at,” said Maria Garcia, a 57-year-old supporter who travelled from Boise, Idaho, to Texas for the convention.

“I hope it motivates people to come out and vote, instead of sitting home and doing nothing,” she said.

But despite effusive praise on display for the president on Wednesday, a troubling reality remained for Republicans, according to analysts.

On Monday, the non-partisan Decision Desk HQ political forecast shifted its prediction for control of the Senate to a “pure toss-up”. Democrats remain widely favoured to take control of the House.

In Texas, that reality is particularly stark, according to Evan Roth Smith, a founding partner at Slingshot Strategies, which polls extensively in Texas.

Polls have consistently shown Talarico outperforming Paxton, despite Trump’s May endorsement of Paxton. That means that any Trump bump for the candidate will likely be limited, he predicted.

“We see Paxton trailing and trailing now outside the margin of error,” he told Al Jazeera.

“We now, in our polling – and in other polls that have come out – see Talarico creeping closer and closer to a 50 percent mark, which would mean he has an advantage that is much more durable.”

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