DALLAS: President Donald Trump used the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention this week to make a risky appeal to voters: treat November’s midterm elections as a referendum on him.
Trump urged voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” during the two-day gathering that kicked off what Republicans hope will be a Trump-focused campaign aimed at galvanising the party’s base and recreating the turnout that powered his 2016 and 2024 election victories.
But interviews with Republicans gathered in Dallas underscored unease about that strategy. Even some attendees who strongly support Trump questioned whether a president weighed down by voter concerns over inflation and the Iran war was the party’s strongest messenger in competitive races.
The scepticism was notable given the convention attracted Trump’s most committed supporters and echoed the concerns raised by some Republican lawmakers running in competitive districts.
“He’s definitely energising the base and I think the convention was a good idea, but I’m not entirely sure if this pitch is going to work for everybody,” said Len Heritage, a Republican donor from Washington state who said he contributed money to help fund the convention.
