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Gone quiet · last update Sep 15, 2026 / Donald Trump

The GOP's first midterm convention, held in Dallas in 2026

Overview · reviewed October 28, 2026

In September 2026 Republicans held a two-day midterm convention in Dallas, the first time the party had staged such a gathering outside a presidential election year, to rally voters before the November elections.[1][2] President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other party leaders spoke, and Trump overshadowed Vance on the closing night.[3][4] Some Republican candidates stayed away as Trump's poll numbers slumped.[5]

Read the timeline

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President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other party leaders spoke, and Trump overshadowed Vance on the closing night.[3][4] Some Republican candidates stayed away as Trump's poll numbers slumped.[5]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-06-29 (UTC): 3%, 18 of 569 tracked outlets (3 left, 7 center, 8 right)Week of 2026-07-06 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 560 tracked outlets (0 left, 3 center, 0 right)Week of 2026-07-13 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-20 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-07-27 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-03 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 466 tracked outlets (0 left, 2 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 4%, 20 of 475 tracked outlets (11 left, 7 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): 21%, 103 of 480 tracked outlets (31 left, 47 center, 25 right)Week of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 2%, 11 of 480 tracked outlets (1 left, 9 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-09 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outlets, so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 7 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (6 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Sep 14, 202619111 of 4802%
Sep 7, 2026314725103 of 48021%
Aug 31, 2026117220 of 4754%
Aug 24, 20260213 of 4661%
Jul 6, 20260303 of 5601%
Jun 29, 202637818 of 5693%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Sep 15, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Poynter

    Trump says the GOP convention beat the NFL. The ratings say otherwise.

Background

Trump announced the convention in late June.[1] As it neared, Dallas officials laid out how the city would handle the event,[6] and some Republican candidates and lawmakers chose to skip it, a sign of the party's worries about Trump's standing.[5] The gathering was modeled on the conventions normally held in presidential years, like the 2024 convention in Milwaukee.[7]

Trump's speech on the first night competed for viewers with the NFL's season opener.[8] On the second night, Vance was billed as the headliner but Trump stole the show.[4] Democrats called on Sen. Ted Cruz to denounce an outburst heard on the livestream during his speech,[9] and fact-checkers found misleading claims as Republicans celebrated their record.[2]

Supporting stories (9)
  1. Why the Republican Party is bringing its first midterm convention to Dallas
  2. Fact-checking night 2 of the GOP midterm convention
  3. Trump remains focus of GOP's midterm campaign as convention wraps
  4. Key takeaways from the 2nd night of the GOP midterm convention
  5. Some Republicans are planning to skip Trump’s GOP convention
  6. The Stage Is Set for GOP Midterm Convention, but Dozens of Republicans Aren’t Attending
  7. What to expect from the GOP's first-ever midterm convention
  8. Trump said the GOP’s midterm convention outperformed the NFL. Ratings show otherwise
  9. Shouts of ‘he should be shot’ heard during GOP midterm convention speech criticizing Democratic candidates

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 13 recorded updates

September 2026

  1. Trump said the GOP’s midterm convention outperformed the NFL. Ratings show otherwiseHeadline from KEYT Santa Barbara · 11 outlets
  2. 5 big takeaways from Trump's midterm conventionHeadline from Billings Gazette · 1 outlet
  3. Key takeaways from the 2nd night of the GOP midterm conventionHeadline from ABC 30 Fresno · 3 outlets
  4. Fact-checking night 2 of the GOP midterm conventionHeadline from Local News 8 · 15 outlets
  5. Shouts of ‘he should be shot’ heard during GOP midterm convention speech criticizing Democratic candidatesHeadline from KVIA El Paso · 12 outlets
  6. LIVE Blog: GOP 2026 Midterm Convention, Night OneHeadline from PJ Media · 3 outlets
  7. Trump remains focus of GOP's midterm campaign as convention wrapsHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 53 outlets
  8. Democratic Sen. Fetterman speaks at a GOP midterm convention, fueling party-switch fearsHeadline from Philadelphia Inquirer · 55 outlets
  9. What to expect from the GOP's first-ever midterm conventionHeadline from PBS NewsHour · 86 outlets
  10. Some Republicans are planning to skip Trump’s GOP conventionHeadline from The Hill · 10 outlets

August 2026

  1. The Stage Is Set for GOP Midterm Convention, but Dozens of Republicans Aren’t AttendingHeadline from WZMQ Marquette · 8 outlets

July 2026

  1. Republican Party of Texas Chair says Midterm Convention an opportunity to tout GOP policiesHeadline from 12News Now Beaumont · 3 outlets

June 2026

  1. Why the Republican Party is bringing its first midterm convention to DallasHeadline from NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth · 18 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →