Can the 'best showman in politics' deliver again? GOP bets on Trump at historic midterm convention
DALLAS — The stakes couldn’t be much higher for President Donald Trump and Republicans.With less than two months until the midterm elections — and early voting just weeks away —...
By Fox News · Fox News
DALLAS — The stakes couldn’t be much higher for President Donald Trump and Republicans. With less than two months until the midterm elections — and early voting just weeks away — Trump and the GOP descend on Texas starting Wednesday for the party’s first-ever midterm convention, as Republicans fight to keep control of Congress. The GOP's playbook for the convention, which comes as Republicans face energized Democrats and political headwinds as they defend their slim House and Senate majorities, is to energize the party's base and boost turnout in key races that will determine control of Congress. "We are putting the president on the ballot," Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Joe Gruters emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the gathering. "That's exactly what we're doing with this midterm convention." FIRST ON FOX: WHO'S SPEAKING - AND WHEN - AT THE GOP'S HISTORIC MIDTERM ELECTION Democrats and Republicans traditionally hold large nominating conventions during presidential election years. However, Trump a year ago floated the idea of a similar gathering ahead of the midterms , to showcase the signature policy achievements he and the Republicans in Congress produced since he returned to the White House. But Republicans are facing a low-propensity problem: MAGA voters who don't always go to the polls when Trump's name isn't on the ballot. The GOP's solution: Hold what's been touted as a "Trumpapalooza." "We have the best showman in politics in President Donald J. Trump," Gruters said. "He is the best vote getter for these little propensity voters. He's done it three times. He's going to deliver once again." According to a speakers list , which was shared first with Fox News Digital on the eve of the convention, the president will deliver Wednesday's keynote address, which is tentatively scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET. Trump will return on Thursday evening at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas to close out the convention, with…