Dallas, Texas – Night two of the first-of-its-kind Republican midterm convention has wrapped up, with the party officially hitching its wagon to US President Donald Trump as it faces uphill legislative elections in November. On the first night, speaker after speaker portrayed an existential fight against an increasingly “radical” Democratic Party. In his keynote address, Trump urged voters on Wednesday to “pretend” he is on the ballot, even as entrenched concerns over affordability, fuelled by the US-Israel war on Iran, have seen the president’s approval ratings dive.
Going a step further, Trump also pledged to give US citizens a “$5,000 dividend” if Republicans hold onto both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the elections, a promise that met with consternation from both his supporters and critics. Night two saw more efforts to rally the Republican base. Here were the key takeaways.
The Democratic National Committee opted not to hold its own national convention, an event typically held only during presidential election cycles. Instead, the liberal response was largely contained to a small protest held near the American Airlines Center, where the Republican convention was taking place, with Democrats holding a rally at Dallas City Hall in the evening. The convention “is going to have the opposite effect from what Trump wants.
Like rats from a sinking ship”, he said. Kathryn Suarez, 51, a project manager from Dallas, said Republicans were “threatened by James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa”, referring to the Democratic Senate candidate Talarico, who has been pulling away from Republican candidate Ken Paxton, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Hinojosa. Abdul El-Sayed is obviously one of them.” “They’re doing what our leadership is not doing,” Batrice said.
Vice President JD Vance delivered Thursday’s keynote speech after being bumped from Wednesday night by Trump. Focusing largely on traditional “family values” issues and praising Trump’s immigration policies, Vance appealed for Republican unity, even amid disagreements. He pointed to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s opposition to foreign wars.
Vance has been widely seen as one of the most critical voices of the US-Israel war on Iran in the Trump administration. We have done a lot, my friends, and we can do a lot more if we fight together,” he said. Vance has long led polls of potential Trump successors, and the high-profile speech is likely to further solidify his role as the heir apparent.
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