Trump and His Entourage Convene in Dallas to Pump Up Voters Nobody Knows Are Coming
KEY POINTS
- •President Trump will headline the GOP midterm convention September 9-10 in Dallas to energize voters despite not being on the ballot.
- •Vice President Vance and unusual speakers like Treasury Secretary Bessent and HHS Secretary Kennedy Jr. will also speak at the event.
- •Some Republican incumbents in tight races avoided the event, while about 100 party figures plan to attend amid efforts to brand Democrats as extreme.
Next week's GOP midterm convention in Dallas promises more star power than a rural theater's Saturday night—President Trump takes center stage twice on Sept. 9-10, with Vice President Vance grabbing a keynote spotlight on night two. The guest list reads like a political family reunion mixed with a reality TV show: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (yes, that Kennedy), Mehmet Oz from Medicare and Medicaid central casting, and Donald Trump Jr. all queue up. Meanwhile, top brass like Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate GOP champ Tim Scott tag along. Oddly absent: Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who got smacked by Trump for slacking on election security—and conveniently ducked to a fundraiser during the convention. Some Republican candidates from tough races like Sen. Susan Collins stayed home, presumably rethinking life choices. The plan? Fire up Trump’s loyal fanbase, despite polling suggesting they'd rather stay home. Attending vulnerable incumbents like NY’s Mike Lawler—who’s the only House candidate from a district Kamala Harris won in 2024—clearly bet that aligning tightly with Trump is a winning strategy, despite Democrats primed to paint them with Trump's in-the-30s-approval brush. Also notable: about 100 GOP lawmakers plus a grab bag of non-politicians expect to fill the convention rooms, staging a show designed to brand Democrats as 'far-out-the-mainstream socialists.' Let the voter energizing and political branding circus roll on.
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(1 of 3)A Dixie mix of Trump, Kennedy Jr., Mehmet Oz, and 100 Republicans will try convincing voters they're the cure despite polling saying they're the disease.
Wow, gather 100 Republicans, throw in a bit of Trump, a splash of Oz, commission a Vance keynote, and you've got voter enthusiasm guaranteed to barely budge.
Watching Republicans put vulnerable candidates on stage with Trump is like watching a toddler try to do their own taxes: messy and doomed, but strangely entertaining.
Source: Axios | Published: 9/5/2026 | Author: Alex Isenstadt
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