Pretend I’m on the midterm ballot, president says at RNC

President Donald Trump closed out night one of the Republicans' first-ever midterm convention with a nearly two-hour speech from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Wednesday. In addition to familiar talking points, such as touting passage of the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill, he promised a $5,000 dividend for every American if Republicans win majorities in both the House and Senate. The president planned to visit every state where a Republican candidate was facing a close midterm race, with 55 days left till the November 3rd elections. 

“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” he said. “We're campaigning to make it incredible.” He said there were about 35 races that were needed—very close, but winnable. Trump has already checked one visit off his list. In Texas, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton faces a competitive opponent in a much younger Democratic nominee, James Talarico. Earlier in the evening, Paxton, the current attorney general of Texas, called his opposition “the most radical Democrat in Texas history.”

“But he’s also the most well-known,” added Paxton. “And that’s why today, I need your prayers, your votes, and your support.“

Trump said he would visit Texas again, and said of 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. But you know what he is? He’s the greatest attorney general in America, and he deserves to be your next senator.”

“He’ll never speak to me again,” Trump jokingly added. “But he’s a great guy.”

How did the Democratic Party respond? Democratic National Party Chairman Ken Martin characterized the president’s remarks as bizarre and rambling. The Republican convention was a distraction, and meanwhile, Democrats were registering voters, organizing, and preparing to win in November, Martin said. The DNC earlier chose not to have a midterm convention, while planning an event for the 2028 presidential election.

What did President Trump discuss in addition to midterms? He talked about strengthening the border wall, to which one audience member yelled, “build it higher!” The president also discussed getting oil from Venezuela, and suggested naming the Straight of Hormuz the “Trump Strait.” He said the United States was winning the war with Iran. To those who question his operations in Iran, his response was, “Can Iran have a nuclear weapon? Absolutely not. Well, then I’m right.”

What did attendees think? The floor of the arena seemed packed, and the stands were mostly filled by the time Trump's speech started around 8 p.m. Volunteers with neon green and pink hats handed out signs for sections of the crowd to raise during various cheers.

The floor audience responded with a standing ovation to Trump’s shout-out to House Speaker Mike Johnson. In contrast, when Trump mentioned Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the audience booed. Trump did not encourage their dissent but instead said, “John is working hard.”

Vikki Consiglio from Georgia attended Wednesday night, telling me that it wasn’t her first RNC convention. She loved Trump’s speech. “He just knows how to get folks riled up and energized,” said Consiglio. “I could’ve listened to him speak for another hour.”

Consiglio thought Georgia’s Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff faced a tight race, winnable by Republican challenger Mike Collins. “We just want the Democrats to keep doing what they’re doing.”

“Hopefully the momentum just continues to grow, and people will wake up and see what we need to do,” said attendee Monica Ladner, who hails from Mississippi. She told me it was her first RNC convention.

“I think, one by one, over the next two months, we're gonna see a lot of good things happen, and people's mood is gonna be totally different,” added William Nevin, a Texas delegate. “Every single argument that people have against the president now that’s allegedly causing these fake polls to be low? He’s gonna yank, one after another, reason off the table, and nobody’s gonna have any reason to be mad at him by November.”