GOP Wary of Trump Takeover at Midterm Convention

The Republican Party is set to hold its first-ever midterm convention and there’s some hesitation in the air.

Many in the party are hoping President Donald Trump does not make the event all about him.

Attendees for the two-day convention in Dallas will include lawmakers, candidates, donors and party officials, who would like to see Trump motivate voters to turn out for the upcoming elections.

They also want to showcase the flaws of the Democratic Party.

“Communism vs. common sense,” Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) said in an interview, calling the event a “scene-setter” that should stay laser-focused on “what’s on the line” for voters in the election.

The convention comes at a time when Trump’s approval ratings are at record lows.

Even if some view Trump as not the best spokesperson, they are eager to show off the tax cuts, which were enacted in July 2025.

“It’s incredibly important that we highlight what we’ve accomplished,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden(R-Wis.) said in an interview. “That’s the perfect venue for that.”

“It’s a great opportunity for us to brag about what the Republican Party has done the last year and a half,” added Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas). “So certainly talking about the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

Some lawmakers and candidates are staying back in their districts, claiming they have scheduling conflicts or want to campaign back home.

Others are wary o Trump’s obsession with priorities many of them consider off-message, including pressuring Congress to take up the GOP elections bill known as the SAVE America Act.

Some Republican lawmakers have asked the president to pay attention to the high cost of living, he scoffed at “affordability” as an issue concocted by Democrats to hurt Republicans.

Republicans want the convention to center around the choice between the legislative record Trump will be touting and a Democratic Party that they argue has moved way too far to the left.

Rep. Brian Jack (R-Ga.), a deputy chair of the House GOP campaign arm, said “you’re going to see on full display each night a contrast that we’ve never seen before in politics.”

“You’ve got Republicans that are campaigning on commonsense ideas. You’ve got Democrats that are being drawn to the absolute most extreme left of their party,” he said. “So I expect each night to see that on full display.”

RNC national press secretary Natalie Baldassarre also said the event would “put front and center Democrats’ desire to abolish police and prisons, raise costs, and strip away our freedoms,” while also promoting “Republicans’ historic achievements.”

“The Democratic Party has taken a turn for the worse recently,” added Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), who is in a competitive race and not attending the convention. “America needs to be quite aware of that as they make their decision here in November.”