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

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

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.

Sep 10, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT

Trump closes convention with a pledge to himself

Trump closed out the second night of the Republican midterm convention with many of the same issues he addressed the night before and directed the crowd to recite a pledge to him to vote -- even if that means they have to "cheat like hell."

"Please raise your right hand," Trump directed the crowd.

PHOTO: Balloons fall as tenor Christopher Macchio sings after President Donald Trump delivered remarks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Sept. 10, 2026.
Balloons fall as tenor Christopher Macchio sings after President Donald Trump delivered remarks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Sept. 10, 2026.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

"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. They never- There's never been bigger cheaters, they don't care. I am going to go out and I'm going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on November 3rd, or we are going to vote before that," Trump prompted the audience to repeat back to him.

"OK. Are you ready? Ready to finish the pledge?" he asked. "So we swear that on November 3rd, we are going to go out and vote. And you know what? If you want, you can vote Democrat," he joked.

"You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell. You know that. OK? You go to hell. And I don't want that to happen to you. So please go and vote," Trump said.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie and Nicholas Kerr

Sep 10, 2026, 11:02 PM EDT

Vance addresses culture war between GOP and Democrats

Vice President JD Vance addressed the closing night of the Republican midterm convention on Thursday night in a speech 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.

Vice President JD Vance speaks on stage on the second day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

As Vance hit on topics ranging from the American family to the assassination of conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, a protester interrupted him midway through his remarks, prompting jeers and chants from the audience.

Notably, Vance did not reference Trump's promise in his address on Wednesday to pay $5,000 to Americans if the GOP wins in November. Nor did he mention tariffs, the White House ballroom project or the Iran war -- issues and topics that have been significant during Trump's second term.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr and Hannah Demissie

Sep 10, 2026, 10:18 PM EDT

Protester interrupts Vance’s speech

Vice President JD Vance was momentarily caught off guard while speaking at the GOP convention by a protestor who unfurled what appeared to be Palestinian and Mexican flags.

He quickly recovered, turning the incident into an ad-libbed applause line.

A protestor throws a Mexican flag as Vice President JD Vance speaks during the second day of the Republican National Committee midterm convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Sept. 10, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

"We just had a protestor interrupting us and waving the Mexican flag. Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there, I'll buy you the plane ticket."

Vance's center-stage speech focused on painting Democrats as extreme, out-of-touch activists, and he used the outburst to hammer home his message.

"I had, ladies and gentlemen, a whole speech written, but I think we got to change it because we just discovered the symbol of the far left: an idiot waving an American — or a Mexican flag, at a protest when he should be waving an American flag."

"Our flag waving friend over there is actually the new congressional delegate for New York 14," he joked.

-ABC News’ Ben Siegel

Sep 10, 2026, 10:08 PM EDT

Donald Trump Jr. says midterms are 'common sense versus extremism'

Donald Trump, Jr., appealed to Republican voters to turn out in the midterm elections, proclaiming “the stakes in this election couldn't be higher” as he worked to draw a contrast between “two competing visions battling for the soul of America.”

“It's common sense versus extremism,” he said during his remarks before Vance’s speech Thursday night.

Donald Trump Jr. speaks on stage on the second day of the 2026 Republican National Convention at the American Airlines Center, Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

The president’s son blamed the left for stoking violence that led to the assassination attempt on his father in Butler, the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, as well as the killing of Charlie Kirk one year ago.

“We've reached a dangerous place in our culture where these extremists don't just excuse political violence; they actually glorify it,” Donald Trump Jr., argued.

Trump called on Republicans to “stay in the game” and turn out in the midterms - stressing the election will determine whether the “Trump mandate” moves forward.

“Communism is on the march, and it's up to us to stop it in its tracks,” he said. “It's all hands on deck,” he said.

-ABC News’ John Parkinson

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