Donald Trump’s bid to make himself the star attraction of his party’s midterm convention got off to an awkward start as he delivered a speech to a partly empty stadium filled with early technical glitches.
The president took the stage at the so-called “Trump-a-palooza” event, announcing that every adult U.S. citizen would receive a $5,000 “dividend” if Republicans win both the House and Senate in November.
His appearance took place 24 hours after insisting that the event had “sold out” and “everybody wants to be there.”
But dozens of lawmakers opted to stay away, party officials admitted they had trouble finding delegates to fill the seats, and the back half of the arena in Dallas – mercifully out of view from most of the cameras – had empty sections on every level.
The giant screen behind him also began glitching almost as soon as he took the podium, giving the audience a series of rapid-fire images from previous speakers, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, UFC fighters Justin Gaethje and Bo Nickal and economic policy advocate Patrice Onwuka.
Trump, however, seemed oblivious to this, and also chose to ignore the empty seats, telling the audience: “Not only is this packed, but you have an equal number of people standing outside… We have an amazing response. They love our party. They love what we’re doing.”
He then proceeded to give his greatest hits, from blaming Democrats for the affordability crisis or claiming he won the election “three times”, to demanding his party pass his signature voting reforms.
Trump’s $5,000 “dividend” immediately raised eyebrows. The only condition, he insisted, was that the money must be spent in America. But according to the census there are 269.76 million adults in the U.S., which means such a promise could cost about $1.25 trillion.
And despite GOP strategists urging Trump not to obsess over his vanity projects during the speech, the 80-year-old did exactly that.
“I built a ballroom, no taxpayer money. I don’t want taxpayer money,” he said.
“When I say it’s me and a bunch of patriots, they put up lots of money to build this, which is desperately needed, and it’s going to be beautiful. And everyone’s going to say, ”Oh, thank God!”
The two-day confab was always going to be a gamble for the Republican National Committee, who had agreed to make Trump the center of the event, even though his approval ratings are at record lows.
“Republicans now have to spin his disastrous, rambling speech when it’s clear that this bizarre dog-and-pony show is being held to placate Trump’s fragile ego,” said Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin.
Trump, however, doubled down, urging people “pretend that I’m on the ballot, just one more time.”
“Because if we lose you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose your safety and security,” he claimed. He also vowed to give people a $5000 dividend if Republicans win.
The event took place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, doubling as a fundraiser for GOP candidates -and in particular, Trump-endorsed Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton, whose history of scandals has left him in a surprisingly tight race against Democrat James Talarico.
Outside, not far from a gold-plated Mercedes, vendors sold Trump merchandise, from Trump rubber ducks, sequined Make America Great Again jackets, and $75 Trump bibles. Inside, as Trump blamed Democrats for America’s affordability crisis, attendees stood in lines for $17 chicken tenders and chips and $12 hotdogs.
Organizers had pulled all stops to pack the American Airlines Center in Dallas, including opening up a lottery for the public with the promise of VIP treatment, urging GOP operatives to give away passes to the two-day event, and blasting out unsolicited text messages screaming “FREE TICKETS” with links to the convention’s registration page.
Some participants told the Daily Beast that the timing of the convention – days after the Labor Day weekend; as children returned to school; and the opening nights of NFL season – didn’t help either.
Others were more positive, but acknowledged the risk of Trump himself being the centre of the GOP”s midterm campaign and asking candidates to run on his record.
“Elections are decided by who turns out to vote, and I believe that part of Mr Trump’s thinking is that he needs to motivate people who still believe in his vision,” said Jack Ethridge from Ohio.
Trump ended his speech after more than 90 minutes – far longer than the 45 minutes he was expected to speak – telling his fans he could be anywhere in the world. He also insisted no one had left, when many had.
“I’m here because I love you,” he said, asking them, once again, to vote for the GOP in November.
