DALLAS — Whether they flew hundreds of miles or drove just minutes, whether this was their first political convention or their 16th, whether they’d seen President Donald Trump speak before or this was their first time, many people flocking to the first day of the Republican midterm gathering were here for the same reason: to see Trump.
The event being staged here is not a traditional convention. No official party business is being conducted. Delegates are not convening to nominate a president. There are hordes of journalists, influencers and party officials you’d expect to see milling around. But with tickets open to the public, many in the crowd are Trump loyalists here mainly to see their man.
For some, control of Congress next year seemed at best a secondary concern.
“Trump!” one woman sang out, holding up two peace signs as she posed for a photo outside the American Airlines Center downtown. The line behind her was a jumble of red, white and blue, sequins, cowboy and MAGA hats, American flag apparel, Trump shirts, socks and overalls.
Inside, Trump’s image was everywhere, hanging on walls and pasted inside elevators throughout the venue, a welcome visual for his supporters — but also for Democrats, who argue that the two-day focus on Trump will only help their midterm prospects, given the president’s approval ratings have dropped into the 30s.
Lydia Damrel stepped through security, squinting up at the building surrounded by Dallas 2026 signage. Outside, a country music band was hooked up to amps seemingly at full volume, strumming onstage next to tables of MAGA hats, American flag purses and Lee Greenwood and American 250 bibles — $75 apiece.
Damrel, a former Republican county chair and tea party activist, was waiting in line for four hours before programming was slated to begin. With a bedazzled “Trump girl” necklace clasped around her neck, a MAGA-red blouse, blue jeans and American flag bracelets, topped off with a burgundy hat, she was unmistakably in the right place. She’d driven nearly five hours to be here, from Orange County, Texas.
“This is my fourth time that I’ve seen [Trump] live, and I’m excited,” Damrel said, beaming.
The first time she saw Trump speak was in 2015, she said, before he’d even announced he was running. Long involved with the Republican Party on the state and local level, she’s attended a dozen state conventions and four national ones, she said. But the real draw Wednesday in Dallas is Trump.
“He has a magnetism and an aura about him that makes you want to get involved,” Damrel said, calling him “an absolute blessing to this country.”
“It’s bucket list” to see Trump speak, Mora Moeder said. She and her husband flew in from Kansas and met up with family members here from Oklahoma. Three-time Trump voters, they’re also longtime supporters of the president. And Wednesday was an exciting day: their very first time seeing him in person.
Being at a convention like this — her first — is just an added bonus. “Another bucket list,” she said. “It was close, it was two days … and it was Trump.”
Some supporters acknowledge Trump’s second term has come with an element of surprise. Mari Spinelli and her husband, Mark, live in Dallas. They took the day off from their sales jobs, excited to check out the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention, see Trump and be around other Republicans.
Trump’s second term has been “interesting,” Spinelli said. “I think some of the controversies and the wars that we’ve gotten into were not what I think a lot of people expected, me included. … I’m waiting for those to end.”
The high cost of living is bound to hurt Republicans in November, she said. But things will “course correct” in 2027, she believes, when the effects of Trump’s 2025 tax and spending bill kick in.
Bijay Dixit, president of the Indo American Conservatives of Texas, shares Spinelli’s concerns. He came from Houston to support the candidates and his party. But the GOP needs a “turnaround,” he said.
Dixit hopes the event rallies Republicans and gives them talking points when they go back home to persuade undecided voters. He hopes the energized attendees, social media clips sliding across people’s feeds and the media coverage all help.
Will it work?
“I cannot say until I see the result,” Dixit said. Gas prices need to come down and the conflict in Iran needs to come to an end, he said.
But “every single bit helps.”
The post For many attending the GOP’s midterm convention, the main draw is Trump appeared first on Washington Post.
