Dallas, Texas – United States President Donald Trump has delivered a keynote speech on the first night of the Republican midterm convention, putting himself at the centre of the November vote despite not being on the ballot. The first-of-its-kind event on Wednesday came as Republicans face a challenging midterm election to hold control of the House of Representatives and Senate. Losing either chamber would represent a major check on Trump’s power.
No reason was given for the last-minute change. The convention was set to continue into a second night on Thursday. Trump’s decision to put himself at the centre of the midterm elections by calling for a midterm convention has been seen as a political gambit, particularly as his approval rating has dipped amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
But Trump on Wednesday promised that he would be a major feature in the final stretch of the race, whether Republican candidates like it or not. He pointed to about 35 of the most competitive races. Some political insiders have warned that too-close an embrace from Trump could backfire, instead mobilising Democrats who have already turned out in droves throughout the primary season.
Trump also went further, pledging a $5,000 “dividend” to all adult citizens if Republicans maintain control of both chambers. It was unclear if the president could legally make good on the claim. The war on Iran, which Trump launched alongside Israel on February 28, has become a major political liability heading into the midterms.
On Wednesday, Brent Crude oil topped more than $100 a barrel for the first time in July as the war ground into its seventh month. Polls have suggested widespread disapproval of the war and its knock-on economic effects. None of the speakers preceding Trump brought up the conflict, which was only featured in a brief video montage in the official programming.
Trump, however, leaned into his handling of the war, saying the US was “winning” and in control of the Strait of Hormuz, despite Tehran continuing to restrict transit in the arterial waterway. He restated his desire to rename the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s maritime oil trade travelled before the war, “the Trump strait”. Trump also floated further escalation, including a potential strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site.
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