On Wednesday, President Donald Trump addressed his party’s most faithful followers in Dallas, urging them to approach the midterms as though he himself were the candidate up for election.
“We’re running together,” Trump said. “This is the most important election of your lives.”
The speech at the GOP midterm convention came with the president’s party facing the usual historical headwinds. The sitting president’s party typically loses seats in the midterms, and Trump spent much of his address trying to defy that trend. He touted his record, taunted Democrats, and urged voters who tuned in to stay engaged.
“This has been the most successful two years, financially and every other way, in the history of the presidency,” Trump said.
If Republicans manage to hold onto both chambers of Congress, he has vowed to make $5,000 direct payments to all American adults. It is uncertain whether such a promise could be legally carried out, or how the mechanism would work.
Trump’s Ballot Pitch
Trump framed the election as a shared fight. “I’m on the ballot, just one more time,” he said, urging supporters to pretend he was running alongside them.
Photos spanning his political career filled the arena, and Trump leaned into that energy.
The most tangible offer of the evening was his pledge of $5,000 payments. The president, however, failed to say how the federal government would fund or legally deliver those checks.
Emmer’s Common Sense Warning
The GOP tightened its final argument ahead of the midterms, painting the contest as a choice between the party itself and a Democratic Party that Republicans say has grown more extreme.
“This is an election between common sense and communism,” Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, warned.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, went further. “The Democrats’ extreme candidates will rip that heart out of our chest. They hate our culture, they hate what it means to be an American,” he said. “Hear me Dallas: not out our watch!”
He added his own warning to the mix. Should Republicans lose in November, he said, “You will be going through hell just like we did two years ago.”
“If they win, every bill becomes a ransom negotiation,” he said.
Fetterman’s Surprise Appearance
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman unexpectedly praised Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Dave McCormick in a surprise video, pushing back against his own party. The most unexpected criticism of the insurgent left did not come from a Republican.
“I’m a common-sense Democrat. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life,” Fetterman said.
That night was all about bringing Republicans together, and the video captured a striking moment that stood out from the rest of it.
Collins Stays Home
On Wednesday, Sen. Susan Collins, the lone Republican seeking reelection in a state carried by Democrats in 2024, returned to her home state of Maine.
More than a dozen Republicans from swing districts made the trip to Texas for the convention.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin touted the $50 billion rural healthcare fund Trump created in the GOP tax law to offset cuts to Medicaid.
“I worked with President Trump” on health care funding, he said.
Freshman Rep. Rob Bresnahan, who is competing in Pennsylvania’s 8th District, avoided naming Trump entirely. Instead, he pledged to work against Democrats in order to preserve the temporary tax relief for overtime.
Pfluger’s Enthusiasm Claim
Many House Republicans see backing Trump as a wager on his power to fire up the less politically engaged Republican voters who carried him into office in 2024.
“Nobody has brought more enthusiasm to the Republican Party in 40 years,” Texas Rep. August Pfluger told ABC News.
Anyone seeking to win a Republican primary still counts Trump as a kingmaker. A political group outside the campaign sits on $400 million and waits to lift up friends while going after rivals.
“We take care of our bad people,” Trump said Wednesday. “We really take care of our good people.”
Trump Defends the Iran Strike
Not a single Republican speaker at the convention’s opening night made mention of the war with Iran.
Until Trump took the stage.
“If we didn’t hit them with our beautiful … B-2 bombers, they would have a nuclear weapon right now, and I would be addressing them as Supreme Leader,” Trump said.
November’s elections come amid a conflict that has cast a shadow over the economy, and that war is now weighing heavily against Republicans’ chances at the polls. Trump has repeatedly defended his decision to strike Iran.
“It happens to me all the time. Guys come up, ‘You know I wish you didn’t do the war in Iran. Gasoline’s up,’ and I say … ‘Let me ask you one question: Can Iran have a nuclear weapon? Absolutely not,'” he said to applause.
He mused on renaming the Strait of Hormuz, and he also suggested that Iran is prolonging the war to impact the midterms.
“We’re going to name it the Trump Strait,” he said.
Straying From the Message
Voters are worried about affordability, and Trump admitted as much, placing the blame squarely on Democrats.
He vowed to aggressively campaign for Republicans down the stretch.
The President departed from the GOP’s midterm message in several ways. He spoke about the White House ballroom project. He commented on how the Texas Senate candidates look. And he gave his opinion on what he regarded as the worst trades in sports history.
Key Numbers From the Speech
- $5,000: Direct payment Trump promised to all American adults if Republicans keep control of both chambers of Congress
- $50 billion: Rural healthcare fund Trump created in the GOP tax law, touted by Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin
- $400 million: Cash on hand for an outside political group supporting Trump’s allies
- 2024: Last presidential election year; Democrats won the state where Sen. Susan Collins is running for reelection
The first night of the convention is done.
The GOP hopes to keep its message intact until the finish line.
Trump remains the center of gravity for the party.
The question is whether that energy travels beyond the arena.
Trump’s promise of $5,000 payments will face scrutiny over how it could work. The war in Iran remains an unpopular conflict that could weigh on Republican candidates. And the president’s habit of wandering off-message is unlikely to stop.
The Republican Party has placed its wager on Trump leading the pack. The party’s choice to put him at the front is the bet it is making in Dallas and throughout the nation.
“We’re running together,” Trump said.
Source: abcnews.com
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