President Trump kicked off the Republican midterm convention with a primetime speech, outlining the Republican message and promising Americans a payout if the GOP wins the upcoming election.
Transcript
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
President Trump spoke for more than 90 minutes at the Republican Party’s midterm event.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
He covered a lot of ground. Some things were new. Some were untrue. But his campaign message was clear.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot.
MARTIN: And with the president’s approval rating at an all-time low, Democrats are hoping Trump’s strategy will backfire at the polls.
INSKEEP: NPR’s Stephen Fowler was in the arena for the speech and has woken early to tell us about it. Stephen, good morning.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: Tell me a little more about the president’s pitch.
FOWLER: Well, his pitch was – it’s all about Trump. He touted some of the signature initiatives of his second term, like sweeping tax cuts – repeated some go-to lines on how things are more expensive because of Democrats. He claimed the room was packed, with thousands of people waiting outside – even though I could see a sea of empty sections in the arena – said he was going to campaign for about three dozen swing seats in the final weeks of the election and promised American adults $5,000 each if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate.
INSKEEP: OK – $5,000 for every American adult. When you do the math, it’s more than $1 trillion in taxpayer money to taxpayers. How’s that work?
FOWLER: It wouldn’t. That money would have to come from somewhere, also known as Congress. It’s illegal to offer people money for their vote. Logistically, that amount is about 80% of all discretionary spending the federal government makes each year, which – by the way, the administration is trying to cut spending. The more obvious obstacle, though, is that public polls show Republicans might lose both the House and the Senate this year.
INSKEEP: Yeah. I mean, Trump himself, in his 90 minutes, did acknowledge that Republicans face a tough job. Let’s listen.
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TRUMP: But for some reason, when a president wins, even if he’s really a good president or a great president – there aren’t too many of them – they don’t win the midterms. And nobody quite knows why.
INSKEEP: So what’s the Republican plan to get around that?
FOWLER: This unconventional convention is certainly part of the idea. But look at it this way. You have this unprecedented party centered around Trump, 18 months into the administration, dominated by decisions made by Trump that seem to be for Trump. Think about the ballroom construction, renaming landmarks on the map despite allies, putting his face on a coin. Then look at what voters say they want the Republican-controlled federal government to focus on – rising gas prices, the war in Iran, expensive everything. So the path is there if the Republican Party maybe changes its course a little.
INSKEEP: OK. So what are some of the responses to the speech, and what are some of the other things you heard there?
FOWLER: Well, aside from Trump, the longest time slots were given to comedian Adam Carolla and Texas Congressman Brandon Gill, who each eviscerated Democrats, much to the audience’s glee. The loudest applause came for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. And many of the House and Senate nominees used their brief time to try and make the case for more support and resources – in some cases, uphill battles against their Democratic opponents.
INSKEEP: You know, Michel alluded to this at the beginning. Democrats seem perfectly happy for Trump to be the spokesman for the Republican Party in 2026.
FOWLER: Absolutely. I mean, after getting shellacked in 2024, Democrats have seen a surge in voter enthusiasm and made gains with just about everybody. So they’ve got this scenario where they really could be competitive in a lot of Republican-held states. And they’re not going to let Trump get in the way and just – happy to let them carry that message with them into the election.
INSKEEP: NPR political correspondent Stephen Fowler, thanks so much.
FOWLER: Thank you.
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