Empty seats, socialism and Trump dominate the Republican midterm convention

President Trump watches as balloons fall at the Republican convention Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

DALLAS — As red, white, blue and gold balloons dropped from the ceiling, President Trump stood on stage to mark the end of his midterm convention, serenaded by a favorite aria.

Puccini's opera "Nessun dorma" ends with a triumphant proclamation: "vincerò," or "I will win!"

But the Republican Party's chances in November are less optimistic, as Trump faces record low approval ratings, an unpopular war in Iran, rising gas prices and the historic expectation that the party in power loses.

The two day party at the American Airlines Center in Dallas highlighted the GOP's biggest asset in getting out the vote — Trump — and its greatest obstacle in convincing voters to keep Republicans in power — also Trump.

Throughout the convention, members of the administration and candidates locked in tight races offered little distance from the president and his vision of the future.

In his keynote address Wednesday, Trump made headlines for an impossible promise to give American adults $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate, and reiterated the GOP's messaging that paints November as a choice between "common sense versus crazy."

Here are the takeaways from the Republican Party's midterm convention.