US President Donald Trump confirmed that the Republican Party will hold its midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, suggesting a months-old idea may be closer to reality.
“Big news! For the first time in history, the Republican Party will hold a midterm convention,” President Trump wrote on Tuesday. “It has never been done before and will be a truly historic event.”
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However, the rally is aimed at showing off the Republican Party’s achievements, and it is likely that there will be critics among party officials.
There are less than five months left until the midterm elections on November 3rd. The party congress itself will be held on September 9th and 10th. Some critics worry that midterm party conventions will take resources away from key battlegrounds in the final stages of the election campaign.
The convention will also put a spotlight on Mr. Trump himself, whose numbers in the polls have been sluggish. A poll released Tuesday by The Economist and research firm YouGov found that 58% of U.S. respondents disapproved of President Trump’s performance.
Still, Trump has pitched the convention as an opportunity to tout the success of his second term.
He pointed to a “tipping tax exemption” policy that allows up to $25,000 in tax credits for chips, and a policy that deregulates fossil fuels to establish “energy dominance.”
“Despite denuclearizing Iran, oil prices are plummeting,” President Trump wrote. “We are fulfilling promises that politicians have been talking about for decades but never fulfilled.”
He added that the event will also boast “great entertainment”, although details have not yet been revealed.
“This will be a gathering like never before! America’s 250th anniversary is approaching, and together we are laying the foundation for the next 250 years of American greatness,” President Trump said.
The idea of a midterm convention has been floating around at least among officials since September, when President Trump posted that such a gathering “could represent the greatest things we’ve done since the 2024 presidential election.”
Experts say Trump is increasingly nationalizing the midterm elections, putting himself at the center of the campaign and seeking to exercise federal control over state-level elections.
Trump is not on the ballot for the 2026 midterm elections, but the race so far is likely to be seen as a referendum on his second term in office.
Republicans currently hold slim majorities in both houses of Congress. If the ruling party loses control in one or both of these chambers, it could create legislative obstacles to advancing President Trump’s priorities in the final two years of his term.
President Trump also expressed concern that he could be impeached a third time if Congress is in Democratic hands. He has already been impeached twice during his first term.
“We have to win the midterm elections,” Trump told Republicans in January. “Because if we don’t win the midterm elections, they’re going to find a reason to impeach me.” “I will be impeached.”
Party congresses are not typical midterm events. The Democratic Party used to hold such meetings, but party leaders denounced them as a waste of resources and stopped holding them after 1982.
After Republicans revived the idea for 2026, the Democratic National Committee explored that possibility as well, before dropping the prospect in March.
Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee approved rules in January that would allow Trump to hold a midterm rally. Conventions are typically held only during presidential elections as a way to rally support for a single candidate.
Democrats have already begun criticizing the Republican plan, comparing it to events like the Great American State Fair, which saw an exodus of performers over concerns about Trump’s participation.
“Donald Trump just announced that he will hold a Republican midterm convention in September,” a campaign account associated with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on social media. “Will Vanilla Ice be performing?”
Some critics say Texas, where the rally will be held, is a Republican stronghold and could be an unusually competitive Senate race this year.
Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is facing off against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the Senate seat vacated after the Republican incumbent lost in the primary with support from President Trump.
“We don’t need any more proof that the National and Texas Republicans are in a frenzy. Not only are they holding the first-ever midterm convention, they’re holding it right here in this state,” state Rep. Cassandra Garcia Hernandez wrote on social media.
“Our battlegrounds run through Texas.”
