Trump electrifies his base, but the nosebleeds are empty. Is it enough to win the midterms?

DALLAS – Donald Trump walked out to a standing ovation at the midterm convention in Dallas.“You have to remember when we originally announced this eight weeks ago, they said, “Who’s going to go to a midterm convention?” he said. “This place is packed. Packed.”Party delegates and rally regulars rose to their feet in unison, roaring their approval and their devotion. It is exactly what organizers wanted: a show of strength as the Republican Party approaches tricky midterm elections.Yet the noise seemed far away in the upper reaches of the American Airlines Center, where thousands of seats sat empty. A last-ditch effort to fill the place with free tickets had fallen short. Cards bearing the Stars and Stripes were left unwaved.“What a wonderful speech,” said Mary, a teacher, who would give only her first name. “What a shame the place wasn’t as busy up here as it was down there.”No one will say it, but the convention is a political Hail Mary.It highlights just how Republicans are betting on Trump and a glitzy rally, dubbed “Trumpapalooza” by the party chairman Joe Gruters, to bolster their fortunes during what was always going to be difficult midterm elections.Can a president with rock-bottom approval ratings catapult his party back to dominance? Some candidates have made their feelings clear by staying away and reducing their mentions of Trump on the campaign trail.Not Marty O’Donnell. He is running in Nevada’s third district to unseat Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV).On the margins of the convention, O’Donnell told Secrets that Trump had won the district in 2024, showing that he would be a positive factor for candidates in Nevada in November.“We just need to get people to understand what he’s done, what he’s been successful at doing, and that’s a matter of education,” he said. There was never any question of not attending the convention, O’Donnell added.“I am not a career politician. The president calls and says, ‘We want you to come to this convention and actually speak in front of a national audience,’ he continued. “Of course I’m going to come. It not only feels like a civic duty. It feels like an honor.” People listen as President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) The floor was arranged by state delegations, even if they had no party business to attend to and no one to nominate.Instead, the day came with all the glitz of a Trump rally. A woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty sat in the front row, alongside a crew in sequined jackets, each wearing a giant necklace that spelled out “T-R-U-M-P” when worn in the right order.Pollsters say these are not the people Republicans need to worry about. More in Common, a nonpartisan group, says the party is losing what it calls the “Reluctant Right” — about 20% of the coalition of Trump 2024 voters who couldn’t face a Kamala Harris presidency and voted Republican.Could that bring an end to Trump’s extraordinary run as a vote driver?The enthusiasm of the base and party delegates was clear throughout the evening. It was clear in the USA chants and their enthusiastic welcome for two cage fighters they had last seen on the South Lawn of the White House.Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent got a rockstar reception as he strode on to the stage, before delivering a speech with all the enthusiasm of an accountant bearing bad news. He ground to a halt several times, and a croaky throat seemed to get the better of him.Yet the crowd whooped it up all the same. “No free rides,” shouted a fiscal hawk in a MAGA hat, as Bessent railed against illegal immigrants using up resources.READ MORE: TRUMP WILL USE MIDTERM CONVENTION TO FIGHT A CONTRAST ELECTIONPresident Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) The decibels grew once Trump arrived.“He’s funny, he says what he likes,” said Charlotte Harris, a retired teacher wearing a Stars and Stripes cowboy hat as she left the speech early, her curiosity sated.She sounded exactly like the supporters who first thronged to the businessman in 2015 as his political momentum grew.THE 10 SENATE SEATS MOST LIKELY TO FLIP IN 2026Rep Mike Kennedy (R-UT) said Trump was still the best weapon in the party’s arsenal.“I think every party ought to learn from this effort to get out the base and motivate them to be involved in this election,” he told Secrets, while charging his phone during a break in proceedings. “So I’ll be very interested to see if this pans out the way that we hope and expect that it could.”You are reading a bonus edition of Washington Secrets, a guide to power and politics in D.C. and beyond. It is written by Rob Crilly, who you can reach at [email protected] with your comments, story tips, and suggestions. If a friend sent you this and you’d like to sign up, click here.