Donald Trump and JD Vance turned the second and final night of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas into a rallying call for November’s elections, urging supporters to treat the contest as a referendum on the president’s agenda.
Speaking at the American Airlines Center on Thursday, September 10, Trump told Republicans they would “go to hell” if they failed to turn out, before asking the crowd to pledge to vote in the midterms. He ended the event with a performance of America the Beautiful and a balloon drop.
The president also renewed his support for Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general running for the Senate against Democratic state representative James Talarico. Trump again poked fun at his Republican ally’s appearance and speaking style, but insisted that Paxton was “the greatest attorney general in America” and deserved to be elected.
Vance, who delivered the keynote address, used his speech to attack Talarico and accuse Democrats of being out of step with traditional Christian voters. He also appealed to independent voters, urging those who disagreed with some Republican policies not to hand control of the country to Democrats.
The vice-president’s remarks were briefly interrupted when a protester waved a Mexican flag. As security removed the man, Vance said: “If you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there. I’ll buy you the plane ticket.”
Cheers of “48” broke out during Vance’s address, a reference to the possibility of him becoming the 48th president. He responded by telling the crowd that Republicans first needed to “take care of business” in the November election.
Vance also paid tribute to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose widow, Erika Kirk, now leads the organisation he founded. He recalled Kirk’s support during Vance’s speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention and praised his widow for continuing his work.
The Dallas gathering was the Republican Party’s first national midterm convention, staged as the party seeks to maintain control of Congress in the November elections. It brought senior Texas Republicans, Cabinet officials and congressional candidates together under an event designed to keep Trump at the centre of the campaign.
Trump had already urged voters on the opening night to imagine that he was on the ballot, while promising a $5,000 payment to American adults if Republicans retained control of the House and Senate. On the final night, he returned to the same central message: Republican voters must turn out if they want to preserve his policies on immigration, tax and security.
