GOP midterm convention: Trump directs crowd in a pledge to himself

Trump closes out the night after Vice President JD Vance's keynote address.

ByABC NEWS
Last Updated: September 11, 2026, 1:11 AM EDT

President Donald Trump closed out the Republican midterm convention by making the crowd at American Airlines Center pledge to him to vote on Nov. 3.

"I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States, that loves us so much we can't even breathe, that I will go out with my family, my friends. I'll do it any way, I don't care if I'm registered or not, I'm going to try and cheat like hell like they do," Trump directed the crowd to repeat after him.

Trump followed the keynote address by Vice President JD Vance, whose speech ws rife with culture war rhetoric, lauding constructs like the “nuclear family” and lamenting that Americans were “tired of being called racists” prior to Trump’s return to the White House.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Sep 09, 2026, 9:52 AM EDT

Speaker lineup announced

The speaker lineup for the Republican's midterm convention has been released -- with speeches on Wednesday coming from President Donald Trump, members of Trump's Cabinet and candidates in key midterm races.

Key congressional Republicans such as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso are set to speak on Wednesday afternoon.

Several battleground GOP candidates will also speak on Wednesday, including Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton and Georgia Senate candidate Rep. Mike Collins.

Members of Trump's Cabinet will speak: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Todd Blanche and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner.

Trump is set to take the stage at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday for his keynote address -- finishing out the day's program.

-ABC News' Sarah Beth Hensley

Sep 09, 2026, 9:33 AM EDT

Trump and GOP hosting first midterm convention, but notable Republicans plan to skip

With just 55 days until the high-stakes midterm elections, President Donald Trump and Republicans from across the country will descend upon Dallas, Texas, for two nights to support the slate of candidates running this year and to tout the administration's agenda going into November in the first-ever GOP midterm convention.

The Republican National Committee said the event will articulate "a clear and bold plan of the work [it] will continue to do on behalf of the hard-working and patriotic Americans after we achieve victory in November."

Several notable battleground GOP candidates, running in races that will decide which party controls the House and the Senate, are not attending this week's convention, which comes as Trump's popularity is at a low.

Read more here.

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