Trump wants to make sure every voter knows the midterms are a referendum on Trump

Republican politicians are heading to Texas next week—some of them, anyway. At Donald Trump’s behest, the party is holding a special midterm convention in Dallas to celebrate what the president calls “our Tremendous Victories and Success.” On Saturday, he once again hyped the event, writing on Truth Social: “The Greatest RALLY of them all! I’ll be speaking on night one, and hanging around for an earlier closing, and lots of music, on night two!!! See you in Dallas.”

In other words, despite his record-low approval ratings, Trump has determined that the midterms must be about him and a referendum on his second presidency—even as GOP lawmakers have made it clear that they desperately do not want that to be the case.

Trump’s poll numbers have sagged as the midterms approach, due in large part to the unpopularity of the war in Iran and the cost of consumer goods; that’s true even among Republican voters. And that’s presumably why many GOP lawmakers and candidates would rather not hold a big party celebrating the success of the administration and tying themselves to it just before voters head to the polls. But, as the New York Times recently noted, they also “cannot afford to snub” Trump, or, as a person identified as a “top Republican campaign official” told Axios, “We have no choice. We’re stuck on the boat with him whether we like it or not.”

For his part, as is his wont, Trump seems convinced that having a rally where he’s a keynote speaker will solve everything. While many Republican candidates are reportedly skipping the Dallas convention, plenty will be attending. On Saturday, the Republican National Committee released a list of speakers for the Dallas event, heavily featuring Trump’s own family and current cabinet, including Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump Jr., HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., House Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, among others. In the release, the RNC also articulated what’s meant to be a unifying message for the proceedings, declaring, “Republicans represent the mainstream, practical values of everyday Americans, while the modern Democrat Party has embraced a fringe, extremely liberal ideological agenda that harms Americans.”

Even one attendee struck a rather non-psyched note on the matter. On Sunday, CNN’s Dana Bash asked Rep. Mike Lawler—a New York Republican facing a competitive reelection battle—about his decision to speak at Trump’s convention and align himself “so closely with the president.”

“It’s not a function of alignment” with Trump, Lawler responded, but rather “a function of doing the job. In order to get anything done, you have to be able to reach across the aisle, and also work within your own party.”

A ringing endorsement, to be sure. As the Dallas Morning News noted, there will be one prominent absence among Trump’s inner circle: Melania Trump is not expected to attend.