Why Trump Wants a 2026 Midterm Convention

MSN.com ^ | September 17, 2025 | Ed Kilgore

[E. Pluribus Unum]

There had been vague talk for a while in both major-party circles about holding a pre-midterms national convention (or as it was once known, a “mini-convention”). For Democrats to do something like this would be like turning around a battleship. For Republicans, all it took was one Truth Social post:

President Trump could change his mind, of course, but it makes some sense from his point of view. He knows preserving Republicans’ governing trifecta is going to be an uphill climb in 2026, given the historical pattern of the White House party almost always losing House seats in the midterms. His iron control of the GOP means it won’t be hard to impose discipline on hand-picked delegates to an event like this, essentially making it a big paid ad for the party and its messages. And let’s face it, this could be the last Trump event, perhaps in conjunction with the Semiquincentennial (250th) celebration of the nation’s founding in July, at which he won’t have to share the spotlight with anyone (presumably the 2028 RNC will have to give a fair amount of stage time to his successor).

On the other hand, the historical precedent for this sort of spectacle isn’t great. Democrats held mini-conventions in 1974 and 1978, and as far as I can remember, nobody much regretted the subsequent decision to stop having them.

The 1974 confab in Kansas City actually took place in December, after the midterm elections; it was basically held to adopt a party “charter” and overcome divisions that threatened to divide the party before the midterms. After more factional skirmishing, the delegates came together over a document consolidating party reforms, and the event was mainly known for introducing the so-called “Watergate class” of...

[CatOwner]

Might be a good idea, because Republican voters tend to be quite apathetic during the midterms.

[Freee-dame]

I think a midterm convention will be an excellent idea for Republicans with President Trump at the top. He is not your normal republican. It will be like a Trump rally and hopefully get people out to vote who normally you stay home during the midterms.

[HIDEK6]

Have the convention at Mar-a-Lago.

[iamgalt]

“ Republican voters tend to be quite apathetic during the midterms.”

This must not be the case this time. I know this if the rats ever get the power back they will take a blow torch to the foundations. Nothing will be left standing.

[1Old Pro]

Great Idea

[Valpal1]

It’s a great idea. Not only do we need to hold congress, we need to increase the number of seats we hold and pass some legislation to support Trump’s policies and impeach a few judges.

[toddausauras]

Excellent! Good opportunity to put the spotlight on the 4 gop traitors who saved omar the skank.

[TornadoAlley3]

The left's response to Charlie's murder and Kimmel suspension is so bizarre, I think Kat and Gutfeld wrote their responses.

[Ancesthntr]

“He knows preserving Republicans’ governing trifecta is going to be an uphill climb in 2026.”
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Not anymore, and especially not if the Democrats and other leftist pricks continue behaving as they have been for the last eight days. Still, I am in favor of the convention, it will help to turn out more of the people on our side on election day.

[DIRTYSECRET]

You can’t count on the voters calling a spade a spade.

You’ll never go broke underestimating their intelligence either.

[JSM_Liberty]

It is a different system obviously but in the UK the political parties have an annual party conference.

[Ancesthntr]

“You’ll never go broke underestimating their intelligence either.”
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Generally not, but I do derive some hope for the future based upon the fact that this country kicked Jimmy Carter out of office and replaced him with Ronald Reagan, and also rejected Hillary Clinton in favor of Donald Trump only nine years ago, and that despite the deep state pulling out all of the stops to get Hillary elected.

My father, who served in the Navy and was a serious student of history, once told me that the only reason why we beat the Germans and Japanese in World War II, and why we defeated the Soviet Union during Cold War, was because their respective leadership classes were more incompetent than ours was (and that’s saying a lot). I believe that the same basic reasoning probably applies to our current political situation. Yes, I know, it’s the Republicans who are known as the Stupid Party…but looking at the absolutely absurd positions taken by the Democrats over the last couple of decades, we may have to reassign that title. After all, since the Great Depression the Democrats have controlled every level of education in our country, have controlled the media, have controlled the bureaucracy at both the federal and state levels, have largely controlled the legal profession and the courts and have had near complete control over the various intelligence and law-enforcement agencies on the federal level for at least the last 20 years, and probably longer. Despite all of that, a former real estate developer with no prior political experience, with no prior political experience, and much of who’s own political party has been trying for the last 10 years to stop him, has been absolutely destroying them.