Republicans’ first midterm convention, being touted as a “Trumpapalooza” by the Republican Party chairman, kicks off in Dallas with a program focused heavily on tax cuts and border security.
Transcript
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
This week, Republicans are trying something unconventional in their quest to maintain control of Congress. They are holding a midterm convention that the chairman of the party says will be a, quote, “Trumpapalooza.” It comes even as President Trump’s popularity sits at near record lows. NPR’s Stephen Fowler is in Dallas where the convention kicks off today. Hey, Stephen.
STEPHEN FOWLER, BYLINE: Hey there, Scott.
DETROW: Midterm conventions – not a thing. What’s going on here?
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Singing) And the home of the brave.
FOWLER: Well, Occam’s razor says the simplest explanation is usually the best, and the simplest answer here is Trump.
(CHEERING)
FOWLER: He’s not on the ballot, but his second-term agenda is. And the 2018 and 2022 midterm shows what happens when he isn’t on the ballot, meaning, a large portion of his base doesn’t show up to vote for other Republicans. So here we are. Early voting is starting to get underway around the country, and for better or for worse, the president is holding a grand old party here in Texas to try and rally his base to vote like he is on the ballot to defy gravity, aka, the historical precedent that the party in power loses ground in the midterms.
DETROW: First of all, Stephen, I hope and assume you were standing for the national anthem just there. Beyond the music behind you, what do we know about the program for the convention that is, as you said, centered around Trump and his time as president?
FOWLER: Trump’s going to be a keynote speaker. Vice President JD Vance will be a keynote speaker. We’ve been given outlines of what Republicans will be touting, like the sweeping tax cuts they enacted last year – things like no tax on tips, a larger child tax credit. You’ve got a slew of candidates speaking, including nearly every Senate nominee in some of the most competitive races we have right now.
And Republicans I’ve spoken with ahead of time, say this primetime event will serve as a big contrast between what they say is a Democratic Party that has embraced socialism and would only undermine Trump in his final two years. All of this is this big get-out-the-vote pitch for Republican-based voters that also seeks to tell independents they need to give Republicans two more years to keep on working on things for the American people.
DETROW: How did Democrats feel about this convention?
FOWLER: They’re pumped. I mean, Democrats would love for this midterm to be a referendum on Trump. Democrats suffered big losses in 2024. They’ve been working through their own stuff, with messaging issues and internal turmoil with their own base who aren’t happy with leadership. Since then, they’ve shown voter enthusiasm. There’s been better election results and turnout, and Trump is a big motivating factor. Remember, during Trump’s first term in office, the 2018 midterm saw a huge blue wave backlash. They’re hoping for something similar again this time around.
DETROW: So square two things for me. We know that this convention is all about getting the Republican message out there, and as things stand, you have Democrats, Independents and some Republicans not happy with Republican control of Washington. So how does that big factor fit into what we’re going to hear?
FOWLER: I’m going to draw you a Venn diagram here.
DETROW: OK.
FOWLER: You got what voters say they want lawmakers to focus on. You’ve got what Republican candidates want their midterm campaign focus to be, and then what everyone feels that President Trump and his administration is focused on. And then you’ve got this big president-shaped hole in the middle, making sure that there is very little overlap, Scott. For example, missing from the program preview was talk of the war in Iran, which is unpopular. There’s not really explicit mention of inflation or affordability concerns, rising gas prices, which are top of mind for people.
And even things that Republicans feel will help them with voters, like those tax cuts, may be overshadowed by Trump’s speeches each night, which themselves may be overshadowed by the opening two nights of the NFL season happening at the same time. But since this is so unprecedented and put together at the last minute, there are a lot of unknowns about how the convention will go and what, if any, impact it’ll have on the outcome in November.
DETROW: NPR’s Stephen Fowler joining us from Dallas. Thank you so much.
FOWLER: Thank you.
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