I have to give President Donald Trump credit for confidence.
Whether that confidence will help Republicans come November is another matter entirely.
At Trump’s insistence, Republicans are hosting their first-ever midterm convention
. The two-day affair – dubbed “Trumpapalooza” – is being held in Dallas. Trump was scheduled to speak the evening of Sept. 9, to “set the tone” of the event. He’s also going to offer closing remarks on the final night.Trump believes his voters need a reminder that even though he’s not on the ballot this time, he wants them to vote like he is.
That may not be the motivation the party needs weeks ahead of the midterm elections that will determine who controls Congress for the rest of Trump's term.
Democrats are ecstatic.
They desperately want to tie Trump’s record and unpopularity to Republicans hoping to keep their seats – or flip other ones. Trump’s approval has dropped even among his ardent base, as the war in Iran drags on and the economy isn’t as rosy as Trump promised.
None of that is stopping the Republican Party from putting a positive spin on the affair.
“President Trump will unite Republicans around our shared vision, build momentum, and deliver an incredible convention for our Party,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters in a statement ahead of the convention.
A lot of Republicans are skipping the midterm convention altogether
Plenty of Republicans locked in close races aren’t eager to “build momentum” with a president whose priorities have often come at the GOP's expense.
So they're skipping the shindig and staying focused on their own districts.
In my state of Michigan, several closely watched races could help decide control of both the U.S. Senate and House, and the candidates in those races are handling Trumpapalooza very differently.
Rep. Tom Barrett, a Republican facing a tough battle to keep his central Michigan seat, is skipping the event, saying he’d be more useful in his district.
“Leaving mid-Michigan 55 days from Election Day in a targeted seat was never a consideration,” Jason Cabel Roe, Barrett’s campaign strategist, told me. “The convention will be a valuable reframing of the consequences of the Nov. 3 outcome but Tom’s voters are in his district.”
Mike Rogers, the former congressman locked in an extremely tight race for an open Senate seat against progressive Abdul El-Sayed, is attending the convention and is one of three candidates from Michigan slated to speak.
Recent polls show Rogers, who lost his Senate bid in 2024 by around 20,000 votes, running neck-and-neck with El-Sayed. The Cook Political Report rates the seat a toss-up.
It's a curious call for a candidate who's built his campaign on crossing the aisle, attracting a “Democrats for Mike Rogers” coalition along the way.
Yet it also shows the bind he's in: drumming up Republican enthusiasm when Trump isn't on the ballot.
“A midterm convention isn’t a bad idea but with Trump’s numbers at what they are and the undeniable political winds, it’s a huge risk for swing-seat Republicans, especially given how it’s a Trump rally and not a real convention of the whole Republican Party,” Republican strategist Dennis Lennox told me.
Trump wants a reset to 2024 momentum. It's not that easy.
I think Trump wants a replay of the 2024 Republican National Convention, which united the party in a real way and helped build the momentum that carried him to victory that November.
That won’t be easy to duplicate. Just days before that convention got underway, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania.
I was at that RNC, and the support for Trump was palpable.
He also capitalized on the growing distrust of former President Joe Biden’s ability to do the job (Biden dropped out of his reelection bid shortly thereafter). Trump ran on two main priorities: closing Biden’s open border and fixing the economy.
To his credit, Trump quickly delivered on the border. But while some aspects of the economy are strong – look at the recent jobs report – many voters are still dealing with high gas and grocery prices.
The president must recommit to delivering on his campaign promises – and be clear about what he's doing to make that happen.
Voters, and the Republicans counting on them, didn't need Trumpapalooza. They need Trump to do the job they elected him to do.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republicans don't need a pep rally. They need Trump to deliver. | Opinion
