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

Sen. Ted Cruz described the Democratic Party as being swept by a "red-green alliance: communists and Islamists coming together" because they hate Christians, Jews, and America.

A day ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Cruz said "And on 9/11, could anyone have imagined that Comrade Mamdani would be the mayor of New York?" he said, referring to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

He continued with attacks on Sharia law, saying, "Hear me now. Sharia law has no place in America, Sharia law. Sharia law is fundamentally inconsistent with the Constitution, and we need to stand together and stop it now. A simple truth: When people tell you who they are, believe them."

He focused his attacks on Mamdani, streamer Hassan Piker, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Texas Democratic Senate Democratic Candidate James Talarico, saying " When Hassan Piker says America deserved 9/11, believe him. When Mandami says he wants to seize the means of production, he means it. When Abdul El-Sayed says he has a, quote, ‘obligation to comply with Sharia law,’ he means it. And when James Talarico says he wants to dismantle capitalism, he means it."

He ended by saying, "We must stand and fight for freedom. We must stand and defeat the communists. We must stand and defeat the Islamists, and together, arm in arm, we must save America."

-ABC News’ Diana Paulsen

In his keynote address Thursday night, Vance is expected to do something similar to what he did last time he stood on a stage like this during the 2024 Republican National Convention: blend his upbringing with a populist vision for the country and urge voters across the country to keep fighting for the nation, according a source familiar with his speech.

He's expected to talk about his personal life story and the hardships he went through, which included growing up in poverty and his relationship to his mother, who once struggled with drug addiction, the source said.

He's also expected to reflect on becoming a father again for the fourth time, welcoming his son, Alec Vance, in July, and the death of Charlie Kirk, a close personal friend of Vance who advocated for him to become Trump's vice presidential pick, according to the source.

Vance's address tonight will be a big moment for him, as he's widely seen as the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination if he runs in the 2028 election.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Senate Majority Leader John Thune dodged questions in an interview Thursday about whether the Senate could deliver the votes necessary to approve the $5,000 dividend checks Trump promised at the convention Wednesday night.

"Well that's a good question,” he told Fox News, “and we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Obviously the president, the condition he put on it is elect us. And I think the focus, the emphasis he was making there and I think this is a clear one between us and the Democrats is he wants more money in the pockets of the American people.”

Approving $5,000 checks for Americans would normally require 60 votes in the Senate, though if Republicans retain the majority in both chambers they could try to use the budget reconciliation process to sidestep that.

Thune was also asked whether Republicans would deliver additional tax cuts.

"We will take another run at it, you bet. I mean obviously we did a lot last summer with the working families tax cuts legislations but there are things in tax policy that we looked at that didn't make it into that bill and obviously we are going to be looking at every opportunity we can to allow the American people to keep more of what they earn and put money in their pockets and not in the pockets of big government and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.," he said.

-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin

The midterm convention is a prime fundraising opportunity, with elected officials and politicians at different levels taking part.

Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who is looking to close the massive financial gap between Democratic opponent James Talarico and himself, had a fundraising brunch Thursday in Dallas, which featured Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a source confirmed to ABC News.

That follows Trump-affiliated MAGA Inc.'s announcement Saturday that it would spend $10 million on Paxton’s Senate bid.

At a Republican National Committee event Thursday morning, Vice President JD Vance, who also serves as finance chair, raised $2 million for the party, a separate source familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News.

Ahead of the start of the convention on Tuesday, Rockbridge, a secretive donor network closely aligned with Vance, held a gathering to kick off the event that included Cabinet members, lawmakers and major GOP donors, two sources confirmed to ABC News. The group, which has been influential in conservative politics, was founded by Vance and investor Chris Buskirk in 2019.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie