US President Donald Trump will headline an unusual Republican convention on Wednesday, dubbed “Trumpapalooza”, as the party seeks to energise voters before November’s midterm elections.
Unlike presidential-year conventions, the two-day gathering in Dallas, Texas will not include voting or the selection of candidates. Instead, it will function more like a Trump rally, with the President at the centre of the event.
Mr Trump will speak on both nights, delivering the keynote address on Wednesday and returning to close the convention on Thursday after a speech by Vice President JD Vance.
“We have the President, who’s probably the best showman that’s ever existed in politics, right here,” Republican National Committee chairman Joe Gruters told Fox News on Tuesday. “He’s going to be here, anchor both nights of this event, and we’re going to be front and centre.”
Mr Gruters previously called the event “Trumpapalooza”, in a reference to the Lollapalooza music festival.
The convention is designed to rally Republican voters and promote Mr Trump’s agenda before the November 3 election, when control of Congress will be at stake.
It comes as Republicans confront the historical tendency of a president’s party to lose seats in midterm elections, as well as low approval ratings for Mr Trump and voter concerns over the cost of living and the war with Iran.
Recent polls have put Mr Trump’s approval rating at about 33 per cent.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr, former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Mr Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr are expected to speak at the Dallas event.
Speakers are expected to contrast Republican policies with what they portray as the Democratic Party’s increasingly left-wing stances on issues including immigration, trade and foreign policy. The published programme, however, makes little mention of the unpopular war in Iran.
Four Democratic politicians are expected to attend as part of the party's counter-programming effort.
Several Republican candidates facing competitive re-election races have said they will not attend, as some legislators and candidates said they prefer to campaign in their home states.
“Republican candidates are on defence, running away from Trump because they know Trump is historically unpopular and that voter enthusiasm is surging in favour of Democrats,” Democratic National Committee chairman Ken Martin said in a memo on Tuesday. “This convention will be a stark reminder of how out of touch Republicans remain from the everyday realities of the American people.”
Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers, who is running against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in a closely watched race, is scheduled to speak.
Attendance has become a major topic. An AP survey of more than four dozen Republican candidates found that most planned not to attend, had not decided whether to attend or did not respond to requests for comment. Many said they had prior engagements, family events or travel.
The absences have elicited ridicule on social media.
“Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the midterm Republican convention in Texas,” read the satirical account of Jack Kimble, a fictional Republican congressman from California, on X.
“I have a previous commitment, whatever that may be."
