Trump Tightens Grip on GOP Convention Despite Plummeting Approval and Looming Midterm Setbacks
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Donald Trump, the twice-impeached former president, is commandeering the Republican National Convention to whitewash his controversial record, while party insiders fret over the event’s potential to further alienate voters ahead of the midterms.
The Republican National Convention, opening Wednesday in Dallas, is being orchestrated by President Donald Trump, who will deliver two major speeches—one as keynote and another as the event’s finale after Vice President JD Vance’s remarks. Party leaders admit the convention is Trump’s brainchild, serving as a platform to push the GOP’s increasingly extreme agenda and amplify his personal brand.
House Speaker Mike Johnson attempted to paint the gathering as “very instructive, very exciting,” touting flashy stage presentations. Meanwhile, Trump’s political machine, MAGA Inc., is funneling $10 million into television and digital ads for a contentious Texas Senate race, while the shadowy group Securing American Greatness floods the airwaves with propaganda glorifying Trump’s divisive record.
Republican strategist Rick Tyler, however, cautioned that the party’s lack of substance and reliance on attacks against Democrats could depress turnout, especially with Trump not on the ballot to energize his base.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Suzan DelBene dismissed the convention’s messaging, stating, “I’m not sure what they’re doing. They don’t have a message, they have nothing to say.”
Trump, notorious for his inflammatory rhetoric, has escalated his attacks by labeling Democrats as communists on social media, irresponsibly blaming them for global suffering. He has even urged supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot,” revealing his desperation to remain relevant.
The convention’s speaker roster includes controversial figures such as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Donald Trump Jr., along with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton—who faces his own legal scandals—and Senate candidate Mike Rogers. Some Republican incumbents, like Rep. Tom Barrett of Michigan, are avoiding the spectacle to focus on their districts, while others seize the Dallas stage to spread their message to a wider audience.
Coinciding with the NFL season kickoff, the event faces limited coverage from major networks, casting doubt on its ability to reach and persuade voters already wary of Trump’s toxic influence.