Pretend I am on the ticket: Trump pleads with voters at unprecedented midterm convention

Donald Trump has pleaded with Republican voters to "pretend" he is on the ballot this November, using an unprecedented party convention in Dallas to turn the midterm elections into a personal referendum. Facing record-low approval ratings and a projected thrashing that could hobble his final two years in office, the president used the gathering to nationalise the vote and lash his party's survival directly to his own brand.

The two-day event at the American Airlines Center—the first midterm convention ever staged by the Republican Party—felt more like a high-octane Trump rally than a traditional policy forum. Speaking to a crowd of about 20,000 on Thursday night, Trump went so far as to lead an improvised pledge of allegiance to himself, directing attendees to raise their right hands and promise to vote. "I don’t care if I’m registered or not, I’m going to try to cheat like hell like they do," Trump told them.

The president’s high-stakes gamble comes as public anger over inflation and the war with Iran threatens the Republican majorities in Congress. To sweeten the deal, Trump reiterated his promise of a $5,000 "Trump dividend" for every American adult if the GOP retains control of both chambers. While his supporters lauded the idea as visionary, economists have warned the payout would cost more than $1 trillion, and Democrats have flatly dismissed it as a bribe.

For all of Trump’s efforts to keep himself at the centre of the frame, the convention also offered a glimpse of a party quietly preparing for life after his presidency. During his keynote address, Vice-President JD Vance was interrupted by chants of "48"—a reference to the 48th presidency in 2028. Though Vance quickly waved the chanting away and urged the crowd to "take care of business this November", attendees were openly discussing future contenders, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vance leading the conversation.

The rest of the event was dominated by fierce, dark rhetoric. Speakers painted a picture of an America under siege by radical leftists. Senator Ted Cruz warned of a "red-green alliance" between communists and Islamists, while the House speaker, Mike Johnson, claimed that "communists will be in Congress" next year if Democrats win. Donald Trump Jr similarly framed the election as a choice between Republican common sense and a socialist "dystopian hellscape".

Democrats dismissed the entire spectacle as an expensive distraction from the reality facing ordinary Americans. Speaking at a press conference in Dallas, California congressman Robert Garcia described the convention as a "two-day party" for Trump to celebrate himself alongside wealthy donors who paid up to $800,000 for ticket packages. "This is happening as the American public is struggling," Garcia said, pointing to skyrocketing gas prices and the rising cost of groceries.