President Donald Trump gives the keynote address on night one of the 2026 Republican Convention on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
President Donald Trump defended his White House record, blasted Democrats’ ideas as dangerous and tried to energize his base Wednesday night at an unprecedented midterm gathering that seeks to mitigate tough election odds for Republicans.
Trump promised attendees that he would campaign for competitive races across the country. The president said he will return to Texas to campaign for Attorney General Ken Paxton, who’s in a tight, high-profile race for U.S. Senate against Democrat James Talarico.
“I’ll be coming back to Texas because we have to elect Ken Paxton,” Trump said.
There could even be multiple visits, he said: “If I have to, I’ll come back twice or three times.”
Speaking for nearly two hours, the president acknowledged that midterm years are often lackluster for the political party in the White House. If Democrats perform well enough nationwide, they could take back control of Congress — a fate Republicans are working hard to avoid.
Democratic control of the House and Senate would effectively end any legislative agenda that Trump might want to pursue in his final two years. And it could expose him to investigations into his decisions on Iran, his family’s finances and more, perhaps leading to an unprecedented third impeachment.
“A vote for any Democrat this year, anywhere in the country, is a vote to let a small and dangerous group of extremists hold our Congress and our country hostage,” Trump said. “If they win, every bill becomes a ransom negotiation.”
He urged attendees to pretend he’s on the ballot in November.
“When I’m on the ticket, Republicans always do very well,” the president said to an enthusiastic audience.
Supporters cheer for President Donald Trump before his keynote address on night one of the 2026 Republican Convention on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Trump identified 35 “swing” races nationwide that are neck-and-neck. The U.S. Senate races in Texas and Michigan where Democrats have nominated James Talarico and Abdul El-Sayed are two he highlighted.
“Freedom-loving patriots of Texas are going to defeat Talafreako,” Trump said using a moniker for the Democrat that Talarico has embraced in campaign merchandise.
If Republicans keep the majority in the House and the Senate, Trump promised to give every American adult a $5,000 dividend. The only caveat, he said, is that the money would have to be spent in the United States. The president did not mention where the $1.35 trillion required for the checks would come from.
The Texas Democratic Party held two news conferences as counter programming to the convention, where they highlighted their statewide candidates and said the Republicans are trying to suppress votes by closing polling locations.
The Democrats condemned Trump’s and Gov. Greg Abbott’s policies, saying they are working for billionaires, rigging elections and outsourcing American jobs.
President Donald Trump gives the keynote address on night one of the 2026 Republican Convention on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
A parade of Republican candidates and officeholders, including Paxton and several Texas congressional hopefuls, preceded Trump on the stage in a rapid-fire event. It concludes Thursday with a speech from Vice President JD Vance and another Trump appearance.
The American Airlines arena was about two-thirds full, with many audience members garbed in MAGA gear and wearing red. Trump received a lengthy standing ovation as he took the stage around 8 p.m. Wednesday night.
Trump continually said the arena was “packed,” though there were noticeable pockets of empty seats.
The president told the audience not to leave during his speech to use the bathroom, so their seats wouldn’t be vacant and critics couldn’t say that “‘Trump did not fill up the arena.’“
Trump’s remarks touted efforts to reduce crime, secure the border and address affordability concerns.
“Vote Republican, and we will leave the world in our dust for generations to come,” he said.
People attend night one of the 2026 Republican Convention on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Near the end of his remarks, the president laid out a laundry list of policy promises that ranged from making “Trump tax cuts” permanent and stopping government payments to big insurance companies to banning “men in women’s sports” and passing the SAVE America act — voter-identification-related election legislation that has been a sticking point in the Senate.
“This is one of the most important elections of your lives, only superseded by our victories in 2016, 2020 and 2024,” Trump said.
This story was originally published September 9, 2026 at 10:19 PM.
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Eleanor (Elly) Dearman is a Texas politics and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She’s based in Austin, covering the Legislature and its impact on North Texas. She grew up in Denton and has been a reporter for more than six years.
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Rachel Royster is a news and government reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, specifically focused on Tarrant County. She joined the newsroom after interning at the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald and Capital Community News in DC. A Houston native and Baylor grad, Rachel enjoys traveling, reading and being outside. She welcomes any and all news tips to her email.