‘Pretend I’m on the ballot.’ 5 takeaways from Trump’s midterm convention

'Pretend I'm on the ballot.' 5 takeaways from Trump's midterm convention.

Key points

• His efforts included an extraordinary offer: If Republicans retain control of the House and Senate, Trump remarked he would problem $5, 000 dividends to all American adults.
• "The Communist Party, excuse me, the Democrats have no leader and they have no message, " House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, remarked.
• "My final words are God bless America and God bless Donald Trump, " remarked Wanda Liptow of Wisconsin, one of the convention's speakers.
• Midterms test VP's 2028 appeal. $5, 000 election wild card.
• Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, offered an especially animated speech, saying the "only way to keep dangerous, radical, weird out of the Senate" is a united Republican Party.

'Pretend I'm on the ballot.' 5 takeaways from Trump's midterm convention. Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson USA TODAY.

DALLAS ‒ President Donald Trump worked to rally his loyal base on Sept. 9 during a first-ever Republican midterm convention in Dallas, attempting a rescue mission to energize his party and stop a Democratic takeover of Congress.

Trump spoke like he was at one of his own campaign rallies ‒ touting the record number of votes in Texas, his tariffs and efforts to seal the southern border ‒ yet the mission was to boost Republican midterm candidates in danger of losing in November. His address ran one hour and 45 minutes.

'Trumpapalooza': Republicans descend on Dallas in search of jolt at midterm convention.

After entering American Airlines Center to loud cheers and chants of "USA, " Trump quickly declared the arena "packed" and asserted residents who couldn't obtain in were standing outside. But sizeable sections of seats remained empty throughout the venue's upper level.

Though the president's unpopularity in polls threatens to drag down some Republican midterm candidates, he pressed his supporters to show up in numbers that twice catapulted him into the White House.

"I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot, " Trump remarked. "I'm on the ballot just one more time."

Here are five takeaways from the first night of the two-day convention.

More: Is MAGA ready to embrace JD Vance? Midterms test VP's 2028 appeal. $5, 000 election wild card.

Trump's brazen promise to pay every adult American $5, 000 if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate could roil the midterms, injecting a controversial new wild card with less than two months until Election Day.

For context, the move was sure to spark criticism that the president was paying Americans to vote Republican as the party struggles to match Democrats' enthusiasm and faces a challenging midterm outlook.

"If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you obtain $5, 000. It will be called the Trump dividend, " the president remarked, adding the caveat that the capital must be spent in the United States. "Now, all we have to do is win."

It was a dramatic new twist in a speech where Trump largely turned to familiar talking points designed to rev up his base, even as he struggles to appeal to swing voters. Though he did not say how it would be paid for or how much it would cost, trump remarked the dividend is feasible since of the "tremendous strength and success" of the American economy. Trump bets on himself as midterm savior. Will 'Trumpapalooza' backfire?

With Democrats focused on cost-of-living reservations as the party builds momentum, Trump continued to deride their affordability attacks as "fake" and said, "food costs, and almost every other item, are rapidly going down." The annual inflation rate remains well above the Federal Reserve's 2% target, though.

He additionally highlighted his efforts to build a new ballroom at the White House and rename water bodies. It critics have derided as distractions. Trump even mused regarding changing New Mexico's name to New America.

"The radical left, I'm sure, doesn't like it but the people love it, " he remarked. Republicans attack Democrats as 'communists, ' over and over.

Midterm convention speakers spent as much time on the first day of the convention warning regarding their Democratic opponents as they did touting the last four years of Republican leadership in Washington, DC.

And they kept coming back to the same description to label the other side ‒ radical, crazy "communists" who hate the country.

"The Communist Party, excuse me, the Democrats have no leader and they have no message, " House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, remarked. "The only thing they can agree on is their disgusting hatred of America and our great president. These individuals are sick."

Republicans' push to paint Democrats as extreme leftists comes against the backdrop of the success of a number of self-identified Democratic socialist candidates in primaries this election cycle. Most Democratic candidates in close midterm races have not embraced socialism on the campaign trail, nevertheless. And though Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed hails from the Bernie Sanders flank of the party, he does not identify as a Democratic socialist.

Republicans, convinced they discovered an attack that resonates, are pushing the line anyway.

"Georgia never elected a senator who coddles to Marxists and terrorist sympathizers, but boy do they have one now, " remarked Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, the Republican nominee for Senate in Georgia, referring to his opponent, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, informed the convention crowd, "The Democrat Party has been completely taken over by crazy communists. I call it the Bolshevik Revolution in the Democratic Party."

Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, offered an especially animated speech, saying the "only way to keep dangerous, radical, weird out of the Senate" is a united Republican Party.

"They hate our culture, " Scott remarked of Democrats. "They hate what it means to be an American. Hear me, fellas. Not on our watch. We will not back down. We will not grow weary. Are you with me?" 'Trumpapalooza' lives up to billing.

If there was any doubt regarding the two-day Republican midterm convention being a "Trumpapalooza, " the scenes inside and outside the arena produced it clear: This is a Trump show.

Republicans filtering into the American Airlines Center for the first day of the convention walked past a vendor selling Trump golf balls, Trump rubber ducks, Trump Bibles, MAGA guitars, and plenty of MAGA hats as a country band played against the backdrop of sweltering 97-degree Texas heat. An outdoor vendor called the "47 Make It Great Again Grill" sold burgers to attendees.

Inside the arena, pictures of Trump hang everywhere on the arena walls and inside the elevators. One demonstrates the first lady standing next to the president as he pumps his fist, his ear bandaged after the assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Among the official convention merchandise is a shirt picturing Trump as the Marlboro Man, riding a horse.

Republicans are trying to energize their base by making Trump the center of the convention. As some Republican candidates in close midterm races seek to distance themselves from a president saddled with poor poll numbers, yet it's additionally a major gamble. A number of Republican candidates are skipping the convention.

For context, the two-day affair has the feel of a convention for a third Trump term ‒ a scenario that would be unconstitutional, but Trump has sometimes teased anyway. A number of speakers employed their remarks as much to thank Trump as to boost Republicans running in the midterms.

"My final words are God bless America and God bless Donald Trump, " remarked Wanda Liptow of Wisconsin, one of the convention's speakers. This person discussed her efforts to assist border enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. Sen. Fetterman makes surprise video appearance at convention.

Democrats chose not to hold their own midterm convention to counter Republicans' gathering in Dallas, opting instead to save resources and deploy DNC authorities to Dallas to shadow the event.

Camped out throughout the street from the arena, Democratic leaders at a news conference accused Republicans of using the convention try to hide Trump's record on the Iran war and his handling of the economy.

"This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can't paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote, " remarked Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who Democrats dispatched to be the face of the Democratic response.

But in a surprise move, one of their own ‒ Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman ‒ appeared in a video that aired at the Republican convention. In it, Fetterman introduced Pennsylvania's other U.S. Senator, David McCormick, to the stage.

Fetterman's video comes as he's already angered Democrats for the past year over his staunch backing for Israel, his attacks on fellow Democrats during Fox News appearances, and his kind words concerning Trump.

"Yes, I'm a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today?" Fetterman asked in the video as he stood in front of a steel mill. "Since while I'm a common-sense Democrat, I'm always going to stand with America. I'm always going to reject the extremes and socialism, and that anti-American way of life."

Fetterman remarked he would work with McCormick and Trump "to fight and defend the steel way of life."

Some have speculated Fetterman could leave the Democratic Party and join the Republican caucus after the Nov. 3 election if doing so would prevent a Democratic takeover. Appearing at the opposing party's convention is sure to add to the questions regarding his commitment to the Democratic Party. Speakers avoid Iran war.

In short, pretend Im on the ballot. 5 takeaways from Trumps midterm convention is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.