“The Democrats play political games, while the Republicans produce results. We are ready to win (the midterm elections)!” At the host’s shout at the Republican National Convention for the midterm elections, which kicked off on the afternoon of the 9th (local time) at the American Aviation Centre in Dallas, Texas, roars and cheers erupted from the audience. The crowd chanted “USA” and held up signs emblazoned with the American flag. However, the cheers were not that loud. This was because the venue, which can accommodate 20,000 people, was only about half full. With daytime temperatures reaching a high of 37 degrees and President Donald Trump’s speech—the highlight of the convention—scheduled for after 8 p.m., there was a possibility that party members would flock in starting around sunset; however, considering the stature and importance of the event, attendance appeared quite low.
While the venue floor was relatively full of regional participants from various states, there were more empty seats on the upper levels of the tiered seating. The first-floor seating also appeared to be about 70% full. Even if the stands fill up for President Trump’s evening speech, it is questionable whether this convention will generate the level of popularity the Republican Party had hoped for.
Over 100 speakers will take the stage over two days to intensively promote the Republican Party’s governance and legislative achievements. The themes include manufacturing reshoring based on “America First,” job protection, tax cuts, healthcare costs, border control, the fight against corruption, and the culture war. Republican candidates locked in close races with Democratic candidates in battleground states will also take the podium one after another to appeal for support and attention. Following his keynote address this evening, President Trump will deliver closing remarks on the evening of the 10th. Several top officials of the Trump administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, will also take the stage. Foreign policy and the Iran war were completely excluded from the topics. Major pending issues, such as the current status and direction of the Trump administration’s foreign policy and solutions for a prolonged Iran war, failed to make the list of convention topics.
Instead, the venue was filled with blatant mockery and criticism targeting the Democratic Party. House Republican Leader Steve Scalise, the second-highest ranking member, received loud applause from the audience when he said, “The Democratic Party today is not the Democratic Party of your fathers’ time. The Democratic Party has been completely taken over by crazy communists, and I will call this the ‘Bolshevik Revolution within the Democratic Party.'” House Majority Leader Tom Emmer, the third-highest ranking member, also went on the offensive, stating, “Every Democrat is a socialist, a communist, and an anarchist,” and adding, “The only thing they agree on is a disgusting hatred of America and the great President (Trump).”