Trump Convention Calamity? $25,000 Tickets Going for Nothing Just To Get Vulnerable Lawmakers To Show Up

The Republican Party is waiving its $25,000 convention attendance fee for its most vulnerable House incumbents, an apparent effort to boost turnout at next week’s midterm convention in Dallas after early planning suggested only about 100 lawmakers and candidates would show up.Members of the National Republican Congressional Committee’s “Patriot” program — the designation given to at-risk incumbents — are not being required to pay the standard $25,000 fee to attend, multiple lawmakers told Axios. Other members, however, are still being asked to pay full price, a discrepancy that has frustrated rank-and-file Republicans who were already hesitant to attend.Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee told reporters this week that the price tag was daunting. “It’s $25,000, apparently,” he said when asked if he would attend. “It’s pretty steep.” Representative Jake Ellze of Texas echoed that sentiment, telling Axios: “Not everybody is a fundraising juggernaut, and some of those folks feel it’s better spent on themselves.”The $25,000 package includes two convention tickets, a hotel room in the NRCC block, and two spots at the chairman’s welcome reception, according to an NRCC flyer. Members willing to contribute up to $100,000 can access additional perks, including breakfast with House leadership. Only new contributions count toward these packages — money previously given to the NRCC this cycle does not apply.Republicans are gambling that a first-of-its-kind midterm convention will energize voters ahead of November’s elections. But with President Trump’s approval rating at a record low and Americans fuming over the war in Iran, high gas prices, and grocery costs, the two-day event in Dallas could easily backfire.History offers a cautionary tale. When Democrats held a midterm convention in Memphis in 1978, it turned into a launching pad for Senator Ted Kennedy to publicly break with President Carter — an early salvo in Mr. Kennedy’s eventual 1980 primary challenge. While that scenario is unlikely to play out this week, “Trumpapalooza” — as RNC Chairman Joe Gruters has dubbed it — will certainly put Mr. Trump in the spotlight. The president has said he thinks reminding voters that his agenda hangs in the balance is important — even though he is not on the ballot — while many GOP lawmakers who plan to skip the event think he could drag the whole party down on November 3.The convention, which will run Wednesday and Thursday at Dallas’s American Airlines Center, faces steep obstacles. Major broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN have not confirmed they’ll air any of the convention, according to USA Today. The timing doesn’t help — the convention overlaps with the NFL’s opening two nights, drawing millions of viewers away to the Seattle Seahawks-New England Patriots game on NBC and the league’s inaugural Australia game between the 49ers and Rams carried by Netflix.A Politico survey of more than 70 Republican candidates found most either don’t plan to attend or remain undecided. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, running in one of the most pivotal Senate races in the country, has confirmed she won’t be there, citing her practice of skipping party conventions during election cycles. First Lady Melania Trump is also skipping the event.The bigger risk, according to strategists, is what the convention signals. Mr. Trump’s approval rating sits at 33 percent, the lowest of his second term, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Democrats report far higher enthusiasm for the midterms than Republicans, according to an Economist/YouGov poll, with 91 percent of registered Democrats saying they definitely plan to vote compared with 79 percent of Republicans.Some Republican strategists warn the convention could cement the midterms as a referendum on an unpopular president rather than local races. “One of the problems that the party is having right now is the president’s approval rating is not good,” longtime GOP strategist Charlie Black told USA Today. “So the more candidates can get the voters to focus on them and the issues that they’re promoting and less on the president, the better.”Others are more blunt. “If you think he’s a drag on the ticket due to low approval ratings, concern about his handling of the economy, and the ongoing war in Iran, centering the election on his performance seems especially risky,” said Joshua Blank, research director for the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas.Republicans control the House 218-215 and the Senate 53-47. Democrats need to flip just three House seats and four Senate seats to seize control of Congress — stakes that make Mr. Trump’s bet on his own political draw a high-risk wager for his party’s final two years of unified government.Organizers on Tuesday released the schedule for the upcoming Republican convention, outlining 109 speakers and programming items across two nights — 53 on Wednesday and 56 on Thursday. While the program details specific themes for each hour, it names only two confirmed speakers: the president and vice president. It remains unclear how many of the 109 listed items correspond to individual speakers versus broader segments.Wednesday3 p.m. – 4 p.m. CST: Opening sessions focus on tax relief, including the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, expanded standard deductions, and Child Tax Credit increases. Early programming also spotlights anti-fraud efforts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, along with healthcare legislation.4 p.m. – 5 p.m. CST: A segment titled “Two Visions for America” details the passage of middle-class tax cuts, calls for mandatory voter ID under the SAVE America Act, and emphasizes border security.5 p.m. – 6 p.m. CST: A candidate showcase highlights GOP contenders in targeted congressional districts, alongside discussions on “No Tax on Tips” policies, red-state governance, and national traditions.6 p.m. – 7 p.m. CST: Speakers address “America First” trade policies, school choice expansion, opposition to gender ideology in youth sports, and government accountability.7 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST: Segments center on public safety and economic expansion — including a proposed ban on stock trading by members of Congress — along with proposals for tax-free Social Security benefits.8 p.m. – 9 p.m. CST: Programming on domestic manufacturing and American workforce success stories leads into the night’s headlining address by Vice President JD Vance.9 p.m. CST: Remarks by President Donald Trump.Thursday 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. CST: Discussions revisit tax exemptions on tips, overtime, and Social Security, alongside panels on education freedom and the diplomatic return of American hostages.4 p.m. – 5 p.m. CST: Focus shifts to small business growth, food security, public health initiatives, and strict border enforcement and deportation policy.5 p.m. – 6 p.m. CST: House, Senate, and gubernatorial candidates take the stage. Programming also honors the legacy of youth conservative organizations, middle-class housing initiatives, and healthcare price transparency through “TrumpRx.”6 p.m. – 7 p.m. CST: Segments address prescription drug pricing, presidential clemency, congressional ethics reforms, testimony from victims of border-related crime, and a 25th-anniversary observance of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.7 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST: The final preliminary hour targets chronic disease, corporate influence in public health agencies, energy dominance, and the party’s core platform contrasting Democratic opponents.8 p.m. – 9 p.m. CST: Vice President JD Vance delivers remarks, followed by President Donald Trump’s closing keynote address to close out the convention.

Trump Convention Calamity? $25,000 Tickets Going for Nothing Just To Get Vulnerable Lawmakers To Show Up

Trump Convention Calamity? $25,000 Tickets Going for Nothing Just To Get Vulnerable Lawmakers To Show Up

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