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DALLAS — President Donald Trump worked to rally his loyal base on Sept. 9 during a first-ever Republican midterm convention in Dallas, attempting a rescue mission to energize his party and stop a Democratic takeover of Congress.His efforts included an extraordinary offer: If Republicans retain control of the House and Senate, Trump said he would issue $5,000 dividends to all American adults.Trump spoke like he was at one of his own campaign rallies ‒ touting the record number of votes in Texas, his tariffs and efforts to seal the southern border ‒ yet the mission was to boost Republican midterm candidates in danger of losing in November. His address ran a whopping one hour and 45 minutes.After entering American Airlines Center to loud cheers and chants of "USA," Trump quickly declared the arena "packed" and claimed people who couldn't get in were standing outside. But large sections of seats remained empty across the venue's upper level.Though the president's unpopularity in polls threatens to drag down some Republican midterm candidates, he called for his supporters to come out in numbers that twice catapulted him into the White House."I'm asking you to pretend that I'm on the ballot," Trump said. "I'm on the ballot just one more time."Here are five takeaways from the first night of the two-day convention:$5,000 election wildcardTrump’s brazen promise to pay every adult American $5,000 if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate could roil the midterms, injecting a controversial new wildcard with less than two months until Election Day.The move was sure to spark criticism that the president was paying Americans to vote Republican as the party struggles to match Democrats’ enthusiasm and faces a challenging midterm outlook."If the Republicans win, you win with us, and you get $5,000. It will be called the Trump dividend," the president said, adding the caveat that the money must be spent in the United States. "Now all we have to do is win."It was a dramatic new twist in a speech where Trump largely turned to familiar talking points designed to rev up his base, even as he struggles to appeal to swing voters. Trump said the dividend is possible because of the "tremendous strength and success" of the American economy, though he did not say how it would be paid for or how much it would cost.With Democrats focused on cost-of-living concerns as the party builds momentum, Trump continued to deride their affordability attacks as "fake" and said, "food prices, and almost every other item, are rapidly going down." The annual inflation rate remains well above the Federal Reserve's 2% target, though.He also highlighted his efforts to build a new ballroom at the White House and rename waterbodies, which critics have derided as distractions. Trump even mused about changing New Mexico’s name to New America."The radical left, I’m sure, doesn’t like it but the people love it," he said.Republicans attack Democrats as 'communists,' over and overMidterm convention speakers spent as much time on the first day of the convention warning about their Democratic opponents as they did touting the last four years of Republican leadership in Washington, DC.And they kept coming back to the same description to label the other side ‒ radical, crazy "communists" who hate the country."The Communist Party, excuse me, the Democrats have no leader and they have no message," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, said. "The only thing they can agree on is their disgusting hatred of America and our great president. These people are sick."Republicans' push to paint Democrats as extreme leftists comes amid the success of several self-identified Democratic socialist candidates in primaries this election cycle. Most Democratic candidates in close midterm races have not embraced socialism on the campaign trail, however. And though Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed hails from the Bernie Sanders flank of the party, he does not identify as a Democratic socialist.Republicans, convinced they found an attack that resonates, are pushing the line anyway."Georgia never elected a senator who coddles to Marxists and terrorist sympathizers, but boy do they have one now," said Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, the Republican nominee for Senate in Georgia, referring to his opponent, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, told the convention crowd, "The Democrat Party has been completely taken over by crazy communists. I call it the Bolshevik Revolution in the Democratic Party."Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, gave an especially animated speech, saying the "only way to keep dangerous, radical, weird out of the Senate" is a united Republican Party."They hate our culture," Scott said of Democrats. "They hate what it means to be an American. Here me, fellas. Not on our watch. We will not back down. We will not grow weary. Are you with me?"'Trumpapalooza' lives up to billingIf there was any doubt about the two-day Republican midterm convention being a "Trumpapalooza," the scenes inside and outside the arena made it clear: This is a Trump show.Republicans filtering into the American Airlines Center for the first day of the convention walked past a vendor selling Trump golf balls, Trump rubber ducks, Trump Bibles, MAGA guitars, and plenty of MAGA hats as a country band played amid sweltering 97-degree Texas heat. An outdoor vendor called the "47 Make It Great Again Grill" sold burgers to attendees.Inside the arena, pictures of Trump hang everywhere on the arena walls and inside the elevators. One shows the first lady standing next to the president as he pumps his fist, his ear bandaged after the assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Among the official convention merchandise is a shirt picturing Trump as the Marlboro Man, riding a horse.Republicans are trying to energize their base by making Trump the center of the convention. Yet it's also a major gamble, as some Republican candidates in close midterm races seek to distance themselves from a president saddled with poor poll numbers. Several Republican candidates are skipping the convention.The two-day affair has the feel of a convention for a third Trump term ‒ a scenario that would be unconstitutional, but Trump has sometimes teased anyway. Several speakers used their remarks as much to thank Trump as boost Republicans running in the midterms."My final words are God bless America and God bless Donald Trump," said Wanda Liptow of Wisconsin, one of the convention's speakers, who discussed her efforts to help border enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas.Sen. Fetterman makes surprise video appearance at conventionDemocrats chose not to hold their own midterm convention to counter Republicans' gathering Dallas, opting instead to save resources and deploy DNC officials to Dallas to shadow the event.Camped out across the street from the arena, Democratic leaders at a news conference accused Republicans of using the convention try to hide Trump's record on the Iran war and his handling of the economy."This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can't paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote," said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who Democrats dispatched to be the face of the Democratic response.But in a surprise move, one of their own ‒ Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman - appeared in a video that aired at the Republican convention. In it, Fetterman introduced Pennsylvania's other U.S. senator, David McCormick, to the stage.Fetterman's video comes as he's already angered Democrats for the past year over his staunch support for Israel, his attacks on fellow Democrats during Fox News appearances, and his kind words about Trump."Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today?” Fetterman asked in the video as he stood in front of a steel mill. "Because while I’m a common-sense Democrat, I’m always going to stand with America. I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism, and that anti-American way of life."Fetterman said he would work with McCormick and Trump "to fight and defend the steel way of life."Some have speculated Fetterman could leave the Democratic Party and join the Republican caucus following the Nov. 3 election if doing so would prevent a Democratic takeover. Appearing at the opposing party’s convention is sure to add to the questions about his commitment to the Democratic Party.Speakers avoid Iran warAs the U.S. military escalates strikes again on Iran, convention speakers repeatedly skipped any mention of a war that is weighing on the GOP heading into the heart of the midterm elections.That's not surprising. The war is deeply unpopular with voters and has divided Republicans, with prominent MAGA leaders criticizing a conflict that clashes with Trump's campaign rhetoric and has dragged on his approval rating as it nears the seven-month mark.The price of Brent crude oil is approaching $100 a barrel again, while the average price of gasoline remains about $4 a gallon. High energy prices have contributed to cost-of-living concerns for voters.Trump has sought to downplay the war, calling it "small potatoes" this month even as American forces repeatedly struck Iranian targets, ending a month-long pause in fighting. The latest strikes came on Sept. 8, when the U.S. military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers.The president told reporters as he traveled to the convention that Iran is "desperate" to affect the election but can't fight much beyond that, predicting the war would end "immediately" after the midterms.In avoiding the war, speakers instead focused on issues that are popular with the GOP and proven to fire up the base, including immigration enforcement and tax cuts.The war was briefly brought into the convention hall in a one-minute video, but the only speaker eager to talk about the conflict was Trump."Oil will be going as soon as we win the war with Iran, which is taking place," Trump said, adding he wants to rename the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran continues to threaten, the "Trump Strait."Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
