Trump's Trials - GOP kicks off 'Trumpapalooza' midterm convention

Episode Date: September 9, 2026

At the unconventional midterm convention kicking off in Dallas Wednesday, President Trump will be the star of the show, serving as headliner both nights of the two-night event. It is being billed as a "Trumpapalooza," a term Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters has been wearing out from overuse. NPR's Tamara Keith reports.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

You're listening to Trump's terms. I'm Scott Detrow. Every episode, we bring you one story from NPR's recent coverage of the 47th president. With a focus on ways his administration is pushing the boundaries of presidential power. Here's the latest from NPR. I'm Lela Faldon. Candidates in competitive Senate races, cabinet members, and President Trump all have speaking slots tonight at the first night of the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. They'll be competing for screen time with the kickoff of the NFL season, a rematch of this year's Super Bowl. NPR's senior political correspondent Tamara Keith is up extra early in Dallas for us to talk about this.

Good morning, Tam. Good morning. So we talked yesterday about why Republicans are doing this, which is unusual. Let's talk about the what, as in what is actually happening over the next two nights. Well, Republicans are calling it a convention, but it won't include any of the usual party business, like hashing out. out a platform or nominating a president. But the party is saying 20,000 people will be here for an event that will have the feel of a tightly produced TV shows slash infomercial slash Trump rally, where the president and his policies are clearly going to be the star of the show. Or to borrow a word

from the chairman of the Republican Party, a Trumpapalooza. I called Alex Triontafilu, chairman of the Ohio Republican Party and asked what he was expecting. From the very beginning, we were told that we could use this as an opportunity to rally the troops and to raise some money for the party. And those two things have certainly happened. He said he had no trouble finding party faithful who wanted to attend. And there will be a whole lot of fundraisers happening on the sidelines of this convention. Yeah, just one example is that President Trump is scheduled to go to a MAGA Inc event today. That's the Super PAC aligned with him, right?

Yes. And MAGA Inc. has a massive pie. of cash already more than $400 million as of the most recent campaign finance report. But there had been this big question of whether President Trump would actually spend that money to defend Republican majorities in the House and the Senate. Then over the weekend, Maga Inc. announced it was booking $10 million in TV ads here in Texas to boost Kin Paxton. He's the scandal-plagued Republican nominee for Senate. And it's the first foray with much more expected in other competitive race.

Okay, let's talk about the message coming out of this convention. Is there anything you can glean from the schedule events? Well, convention organizers say it will draw a contrast between the common sense Republican agenda, quote, focused on affordability, security, safety, and American strength, and the Democrats' liberal and extreme alternative. Republicans want this election to be a choice, but midterms are almost always referendums on the party in power and the president. And this president is unpopular, as is the war in Iran he launched more than six months ago and the persistently high gas prices that came with it. And what do Democrats have to say about all this? Their counter-programming is expected to be fairly muted, like the party isn't trying to match the Republicans with a convention of their own. Tim Hogan, who leads the rapid response

unit at the Democratic National Committee, told me Americans are not buying what Republicans are selling. Bottom line, this convention is a liability for Republicans. They're pumping millions of dollars into what will be a low viewership affair that will showcase how out of touch they are. And he argues that Democrats have more energy behind them this midterm year. Polls show that. And we have no idea how many Americans will tune in to this convention. It will be on C-SPAN. But being head-to-head with the NFL season kickoff certainly won't help the ratings. And PR's Tamara Keith. Thank you, Tam. You're welcome.

Before we wrap up a reminder, you can find more coverage of the Trump administration on the NPR Politics podcast, where you can hear NPR's political reporters break down the day's biggest political news with new episodes every weekday afternoon. And thanks, as always, to our NPR Plus supporters who hear every episode of the show without sponsor messages. You can learn more at plus.npr.org. I'm Scott Detrow. Thanks for listening to Trump's terms from NPR. are.