‘Historic Event’: Trump announces Republican midterm convention

Donald Trump has announced that Republicans will stage their first ever national convention ahead of the midterm elections, a move aimed at energizing voters as the party fights to hold its narrow congressional majorities in November.The two-day gathering will take place in Dallas on 9 and 10 September, marking a break from the longstanding tradition of holding national conventions only during presidential election years. Trump confirmed the plans on Tuesday in a Truth Social post, describing Dallas as “One of my favorite places in the World”.“It has never been done before, and will be a truly Historic Event,” he said, promising the convention would feature “Great Entertainment”.Trump first floated the idea for a convention last year, arguing that it would provide an opportunity to showcase his administration’s achievements since returning to the White House in 2024.The convention comes as Republicans seek to defy the historical pattern of the president’s party losing seats in the midterms. Should Democrats win control of either chamber – or both – they would gain the ability to block much of Trump’s legislative agenda and launch investigations into his administration during the final years of his second term.Trump’s national approval ratings are remarkably low, dragged down by negative views of his handling of the US economy. Voters favor Democrats in the race for Congress.The president remains an enormously influential force among the Republican base, which the party will need to turn out in strong numbers. But the midterms could pose problems for vulnerable Republicans running in places where Trump is deeply unpopular and where his policies – from the war in Iran to his administration’s immigration crackdown – have deeply divided residents.Choosing Texas for the convention puts a direct spotlight on the state’s high-stakes Senate race between Democratic nominee James Talarico and Republican nominee Ken Paxton. Democrats have not won a statewide race in Texas in decades, but a New York Times/Siena poll released this week suggests the race is a toss-up.Paxton, the Texas attorney general, secured Trump’s endorsement in the GOP primary, ultimately defeating long-serving incumbent senator John Cornyn. His candidacy has been plagued by a history of political and legal controversies that Democrats believe has provided an opening for Talarico, a charismatic state representative and Presbyterian seminarian.Holding the gathering in Texas will also underscores the reverberations of Trump’s push for mid-decade congressional redistricting that began in Texas as an effort aimed at strengthening Republicans’ prospects in this fall’s elections.Earlier this year, the Republican National Committee moved to amend its rules to allow for a national convention outside of the four-year presidential cycle.The Democratic National Committee opted against hosting a midterm convention of its own, arguing that the party would rather spend resources on building up local and state infrastructure as it tries to win back power from Republicans in November.While unusual in the modern era, the Democratic Party did previously hold midterm conferences during the 1970s and 1980s.