Republicans Have One Big Request for Trump at Midterm Convention: Talk About GOP Wins, Not Yourself

Some Republicans want Donald Trump to use the first midterm convention to talk about what Congress has accomplished, rather than about himself. The event opens in Dallas on 9 September. Parties normally hold conventions only when a president is on the ballot. This one does not select a candidate, approve a platform or count votes.

Dozens of Republicans made that request to Politico this week. The reason is simple arithmetic. Trump's approval rating stood at 33 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on 31 August, its lowest level of his current term. Key races on 3 November will determine which party controls Congress and whether Trump can get his legislative agenda through.

Two nights of national television are the prize. Derrick Van Orden, a Wisconsin congressman, told Politico that it was 'incredibly important that we highlight what we've accomplished.' House Speaker Mike Johnson described the event as an extraordinary opportunity for Republicans to get 'a couple of nights on national television.'

What the Party Wants to Say

Most of the wish list consists of legislation. Republicans plan to promote the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed last year. The law includes a new deduction for qualified tips and tax-advantaged child savings accounts branded as Trump Accounts. Craig Goldman, a Texas congressman, said the convention would be a chance to 'brag about what the Republican Party has done.'

The other half of the message focuses on the opposition. Speakers will seek to contrast Republicans with Democrats, whom they accuse of moving sharply to the left. Videos of candidates in key races will also be shown on the convention screens. Brian Jack, a Georgia congressman, told Politico that Democrats were 'drawn to the absolute most extreme left of their party.'

What They Are Afraid Of

The fear is that Trump will turn the midterms into a referendum on himself. His approval rating is at a record low for his current term, while 71 per cent of Americans disapprove of the way he is handling the cost of living. Petrol prices have also risen since he ordered strikes on Iran in February.

Republican members have asked him to make prices a central issue. Instead, Trump has dismissed affordability as a term he says Democrats invented and continued to focus on other priorities. He has also urged Congress to take up the SAVE America Act, an elections bill that many candidates see as beside the point with just eight weeks to go.

Riley Moore, a West Virginia congressman, said speakers should focus on 'what's on the line' for voters in November. That is the central request, but no one can force Trump to follow it. Trump told Republican lawmakers last week that they already had a winning message and needed to talk about it.

Who Is Staying Home

Politico asked more than 70 Republican candidates and lawmakers whether they would attend, and 45 either ruled out the trip or had not yet decided. Tom Barrett of Michigan holds a seat his party could lose. He told Politico that he would 'be more useful in my district.' Asked whether Trump's remarks at the convention could make his race harder, Barrett said he could control only where he was and what he was doing.

Free tickets are being handed out to help fill the arena. Organisers now expect about 30,000 people to attend over the two days at the American Airlines Center. House Republicans were earlier asked to pay at least $25,000 to attend.

Will Anyone Be Watching?

The timing is awkward. The two-night event coincides with the opening of the NFL season and falls just before the 25th anniversary of the 11 September attacks. Democrats have also planned rival events in Texas, where Ken Paxton is locked in a closely watched Senate race.

Joshua Blank, research director at the Texas Politics Project in Austin, said the question on many people's minds was 'whether or not this is helpful.' Trump will speak on both nights and close the event. Whether he closes by highlighting the tax bill or talking about himself is the one thing his party cannot script.