President Trump is taking a campaign-season tradition that normally goes quiet in a midterm year and turning it into a two-night America First showcase.

Thousands of Republicans are gathering at the American Airlines Center in Dallas today for the party’s first-ever national midterm convention.

The stakes are enormous. Control of Congress is on the line in November, and President Trump is putting his own record, his movement and the GOP’s strongest candidates on one stage.

The party’s rapid-response team set the scene as the doors opened in Dallas:

The official Republican convention schedule shows just how ambitious this event is. Organizers have planned 109 speakers and segments over two nights, with 53 on Wednesday and another 56 on Thursday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tonight’s program begins at 3 p.m. Central with the Dallas Police Department Honor Guard, RNC Chairman Joe Gruters, Pastor Jack Graham, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna and a group of Republican nominees and grassroots voices.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Majority Whip Tom Emmer follow in the 4 p.m. hour. The evening then moves through border security, tax relief, manufacturing, health care, energy and the fight against government waste.

Attorney General Todd Blanche, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Border Patrol union president Paul Perez, Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds and Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton are among the major names scheduled before President Trump takes the stage in the 8 p.m. Central hour.

The official program says the convention is designed to make the choice in November unmistakable: strong borders, lower taxes, school choice, peace through strength and American jobs on one side; the far-left program of sanctuary cities, higher taxes and ideological extremism on the other.

Scalise previewed that contrast in his own message from Dallas:

Roll Call reports that the gathering brings hundreds of Republican elected officials, candidates, donors and state and local party leaders to Dallas. Unlike a presidential convention, there is no nomination or formal party business to conduct.

The entire event is built to sharpen the Republican message, energize voters and turn President Trump’s record into a national midterm argument.

The location matters, too. Texas is home to a pivotal Senate contest between Trump ally Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, while several competitive House races could help decide control of the chamber.

Holding the convention in Dallas puts those candidates in front of national donors, activists and media while President Trump makes the case for keeping Republicans in charge.

ADVERTISEMENT

The lineup reaches well beyond Texas. Senate candidates Michael Whatley, Mike Rogers and Mike Collins are scheduled to appear, along with Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Ted Cruz and multiple Cabinet officials.

Vice President JD Vance has a prime-time role on Thursday.

Democrats are sending their own delegation to counter the event. That tells you plenty: they understand that a unified Republican Party, powered by President Trump’s ability to draw attention and move voters, is a threat to their plans for Congress.

Sen. Dave McCormick put the convention’s economic and national-security case in plain English:

This is bigger than a political pep rally. President Trump is testing a new way to nationalize the midterms, connect congressional candidates to the America First agenda and give millions of voters a reason to show up even when his own name is not on the ballot.

The old Republican Party might have treated a midterm year like a defensive exercise. President Trump’s Republican Party is taking the field, drawing the contrast and making Democrats answer for what they want to do with power.

Dallas is the opening bell. November will tell us whether the rest of the country is ready to keep the America First comeback moving.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.