Trump hails packed house at first GOP midterm convention

ByRichard Miniter

First Published: September 10, 2026, 12:08 PM ET

WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump celebrated a “packed house” at the Republican Party’s first midterm convention in Dallas, where he delivered the keynote address that opened the party’s 2026 campaign push.

Republicans kicked off their first midterm convention in Dallas with Trump as the featured speaker, according to NBC News. The event was billed as “Trump-a-palooza,” and dozens of Republicans in tight races said they would not attend, according to nbcnews. Trump put himself at the center of the midterms, urging supporters to pretend “I’m on the ballot” to energize the party, according to ABC News.

“We’re running together,” Trump said. “This is the most important election of your lives.”

Here is the full post on truthsocial: “Last night at the Convention — A packed house! Trump” on September 10, 2026 at 11:48 AM ET.

This is Trump’s 8th message released today, and the last post was 25 minutes ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 35 of his 648 posts over the last 30 days classified as Personal Praise, Greetings & Tributes posts.

Speaking in an arena filled with photos from across his political career, Trump urged Republicans to defy the historic trend of the sitting president’s party losing seats in the midterms, according to ABC News. “This has been the most successful two years, financially and every other way, in the history of the presidency,” Trump said. He promised $5,000 direct payments to all American adults if Republicans keep control of both chambers of Congress, though the mechanism and legality of that promise are unclear, according to abcnews.

Speakers mentioned Trump’s name 155 times from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and during his keynote he invoked his own name 16 times, bringing the total to 171, according to NBC News. He spoke for almost an hour and 45 minutes, according to nbcnews. The only word mentioned more often was variations of “America.”

Republicans sharpened their closing message against Democrats, portraying the midterm elections as a binary choice, according to ABC News. “This is an election between common sense and communism,” Rep.Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, warned. Democratic Sen.John Fetterman of Pennsylvania appeared in a surprise video praising Republican Sen.Dave McCormick, according to abcnews.

Sen.Susan Collins, the only Republican running for reelection in a state won by Democrats in 2024, stayed home in Maine, according to ABC News. More than a dozen Republicans in battleground districts traveled to Texas for the convention. Rep.Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin touted the $50 billion rural healthcare fund created in the GOP tax law, according to abcnews.

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