Trump, RNC set to make political history in Dallas with first-ever Midterm Convention
Crews are adding the final touches to Victory Plaza outside the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Starting Wednesday, President Trump and Vice President JD Vance will headline the Republican National Committee's Midterm Convention. Heather Washburne, the Board Chair of the Dallas Host Committee 2026, which helped bring the two-day event to Dallas, said, "Dallas is rolling out the red carpet."
The RNC says it's expecting more than 20,000 people to attend, making it larger than their 2024 nominating convention in Milwaukee and the largest convention in 10 years.
Mr. Trump will deliver the keynote address on Wednesday night and make closing remarks on Thursday night following Vance's keynote address.
Texas Republicans, including Senate candidate Ken Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, will also speak.
"We also have speakers who've lived real life along with the policies that we've had in the last two years and how it's affected their lives," said Heather Washburne. "So, our hope is the voters see that their lives continue to get better under this administration and under Republican policies in general."
While Republicans are facing political headwinds in November, the president remains very popular with conservatives. He and the RNC want to energize Republicans to go vote. Democrats are already motivated to cast their ballots in November.
Ray Washburne, a Board Member of the Dallas Host Committee 2026, said there's already a lot of excitement in Dallas for the convention. He and his wife, Heather, are among those who quickly raised $45 million to help pay for the convention.
"There's a lot of enthusiasm for having it in Dallas," said Ray Washburne. "Dallas has always had a can-do attitude. So, when we had to put the message out to raise the money, it came right in. Three weeks is pretty impressive to get that done."
The city of Dallas has said that providing public safety will cost more than $2 million. City leaders don't want taxpayers to pay for it. Ray Washburne told CBS News Texas this won't be an issue.
"Well, there are lots of grants and things out there from different departments and we feel very confident that the whole thing's going to be filled up," he said. "So, we're not concerned about that. It will be taken care of."
The RNC says this is the first convention that members of the public can attend, and they say everyone is welcome. If you're interested in attending, free tickets are still available at GOPconvention.com.
Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 Sunday morning on CBS News Texas on air and streaming
