Rambling Trump offered $5,000 to every voter. Even his fans weren’t convinced

Even before Donald Trump took to the stage at the Republican midterm convention, one of the organisers of the event admitted there wasn’t much point in being there. For Republicans who were not in contested races it “really doesn’t make much sense to come” to the event in Dallas, Texas, said former Trump official and party fundraiser Ray Washburne. That set the dismal mood for the event the President was calling “Trumpapalooza”, the first midterm convention by a major political party in the US since 1974 – back then it was the Democrats. Why hasn’t one happened since? Because they are seen as pointless, a waste of time and a waste of money. But that didn’t stop the President. His crushingly bad polls and inflation caused by the unpopular Iran war did little to deter Trump not only from holding the event, but from speaking for both of the two nights. On Wednesday, the President gave a rambling keynote speech where he made clear that, with just over 50 days to go until the midterms, the solution to an unpopular Trump was… more Trump. In front of an audience that did not include his wife, Melania Trump, or dozens of Republicans facing dicey re-election races in November’s elections, the President urged his followers to imagine he was running during the midterms because he won the last three presidential votes, if you include 2024 (which he actually lost). To Trump, the fact that presidents tend to lose the midterms was a long-running mystery, not a sign that voters quickly get fed up with broken promises. The President promised to campaign in every state where Republicans are in the running (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty) Trump said “we’ve gotta change that”, because a vote for the Republicans would mean “we will leave the world in our dust for generations to come”. That’s why Trump will be visiting every state where Republicans are in the race, he said, which will be unwelcome news to those running for Congress who are distancing themselves from him. “I’m asking you to pretend I’m on the ballot, just one more time”, Trump said. “If we lose you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, your safety and security.” Economic doublethink Voters are struggling with the cost of living as oil hits $100 a barrel amid renewed military strikes on Iran. But Trump claimed it has been the country’s “most successful two years financially [more] than every other two years in the history of the presidency” which is true, if he is talking about enriching himself. Instead, he blamed Democrats for the affordability crisis, a weak argument given he has been in office for a year and 10 months now. “The typical American’s 401k (pension) has gone up by almost $50,000,” Trump said, repeating a claim that has been questioned by fact checkers in the past. “We’re doing well. I only wish the fake news would give us credit.” As he ticked past the 90 minute mark, Trump veered further off script, complaining about criticism of the White House ballroom, a subject his aides have begged him to avoid. That teed us up to Trump’s big announcement: a $5,000 “dividend” for every American if Republicans keep control of Congress in the midterms. It’s an easy promise to make – because that scenario very likely won’t happen. Voters might also well ask where their promised $2,000 cheques from Trump’s tariff revenues got to, as they never materialised. Empty seats The lack of enthusiasm at the American Airlines Center was apparent in the buildup to Trump’s speech with dozens of empty seats on the second tier, while the upper tier was almost completely void of attendees. Empty seats were seen as people listened to Donald Trump speak on the first day of the 2026 Republican National Convention (Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty) With a capacity of 19,200, it was always going to be an ambitious venue for a man whose approval rating was the lowest out of any President after his first year and currently sits at just 32 percent. Even Lee Greenwood sounded lethargic while singing “God Bless the USA”, arguably the biggest anthem of Trump era Republican conferences, to introduce the President. It was, to use Trump’s insult to Joe Biden during the 2024 election, all rather “low energy”. The speakers who led into Trump seemed like they were going through the motions too, like Mehmet Oz, a TV doctor turned senior health official in the Trump administration, and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds. During both of their speeches you could clearly hear the crowd chatting, a sign they had more interesting things to talk about. “President Trump has turned this country around once before, he will do it again”, said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a stuttering, stumbling speech that was as inspiring as watching water drip from a tap. In fact, the most interesting moment of the night belonged to a Democrat when Senator John Fetterman gave an unexpected video address in which he praised the President. It was all a striking contrast to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in 2024, where Hulk Hogan tore off his shirt and you could feel the energy in the room. Two years later the party is cruising towards what will likely be a brutal election in November that will render Trump a lame duck after Democrats retake the House and maybe the Senate. Forget Trumpapalooza, this felt more like a soggy Thursday afternoon at a local beer festival.