Trump Urges Republicans to Vote as if He Were on the Ballot
Trump opened the Republican midterm convention in Dallas by asking voters to 'pretend' he is on the ballot and vowing to defy midterm history.
President Donald Trump placed himself at the centre of the Republican Party's midterm message on Wednesday, telling an audience in Dallas to vote in November as though his name were on the ballot.
Speaking on the opening night of the Republican midterm convention, Trump asked supporters to "pretend that I'm on the ballot" — "just one more time" — and said he intended to break the pattern of sitting presidents faring badly in midterm elections.
He acknowledged that the party holding the White House has typically lost congressional seats in midterms, but said there was "no reason for it" and that Republicans would change that outcome.
Trump warned that a loss would cost voters their border, tax cuts, safety and security, and wealth. He said the election would turn on unity, and predicted that on November 3 the "great American majority" would make its voice heard.
He said he would campaign in every closely contested state for congressional and Senate candidates, and would hold rallies. He singled out Texas, saying he would return to the state once, twice or three times if needed to help elect Ken Paxton.
The first night of the two-day gathering also featured Republican speakers denouncing Democrats as extremists. Trump capped the evening with a speech in which he described the election choice as "very, very simple" and promised $5,000 to every American adult if his party wins — a proposal that could cost more than $1 trillion against a national debt of about $40 trillion.
Vice President JD Vance, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and House Speaker Mike Johnson were seated in the audience during the address.
Thursday's programme is expected to echo the same themes, with a keynote from Vance and closing remarks from Trump.
Republicans are working to counter voter concerns about the economy and the war in Iran, and many in the party continue to see alignment with Trump as their strongest path to retaining their House and Senate majorities in November, despite the president's low approval ratings.