President Donald Trump dances with “Y.M.C.A.” song after his speech during the Republican convention at American Airlines Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
It’s the final day of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas — and the party is saving its top ticket for last.
The day’s schedule includes dozens of speakers and events, ending with the first appearance from Vice President JD Vance and closing remarks from President Donald Trump, who urged Texans to elect Ken Paxton for the U.S. Senate in an address on Wednesday.
Stuffed rubber ducks resembling President Donald Trump are for sale during the Republican convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
With protesters also expected to take to the streets in downtown Dallas, The Dallas Morning News is following the action from inside the arena and across the city, bringing you the latest developments and biggest moments from the convention’s closing day.
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Follow along with our live updates below.
Related: Here’s the program for Day 2 of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas
A short walk from American Airlines Center, dozens of anti-Trump protesters gathered Thursday afternoon at Pike Park.
The demonstration was organized by the Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition, an alliance of progressive activist groups. Organizers planned to march from the park toward the arena, where Republicans were holding the final day of their midterm convention.
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Around a gazebo, demonstrators chanted as one person beat a drum, another strummed a guitar and several shook tambourines. Others carrying signs and banners clustered beneath patches of shade to escape the afternoon heat.
“We’re going to march today,” an organizer shouted through a loudspeaker.
Protesters criticized President Donald Trump and his administration over immigration, the war in Iran and allegations of corruption. Many called for Trump and the Republican Party to leave Dallas.
A handful of counterprotesters also gathered nearby, using a megaphone as they shouted at demonstrators, including LGBTQ slurs.
A separate protest of the GOP convention was planned for 6 p.m. outside Dallas City Hall, organized by the Next Generation Action Network with the Dallas County Democratic Party and other Democratic and advocacy groups.
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Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA (top left), wipes away tears as President Donald Trump speaks about her late husband Charlie Kirk during the Republican convention at American Airlines Center on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
One year after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA will be memorialized Thursday evening at the Republican midterm convention.
The 31-year-old activist was key in growing support for the GOP among young people and helped run the get-out-the-vote for President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, according to the Associated Press. Trump honored Kirk in his address Wednesday on the first night of the convention.
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Erika Kirk, chief executive of Turning Point USA and Kirk’s widow, sat in a special section to the left of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Wednesday. As Trump waved to Erika Kirk, the crowd in the arena rose to their feet and chanted “Charlie.”
According to a programming schedule released by the Republican National Committee, Pastor Lucas Miles, vice president of Turning Point USA Faith, will say a prayer before a video tribute to Kirk will play for the audience.
The segment is scheduled to begin around 5 p.m. CT.
Read more: Conservative activist Charlie Kirk to be honored at Dallas GOP convention
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A shirt depicting President Donald Trump as a cowboy is seen for sale during the Republican convention at American Airlines Center on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
A shirt depicting President Donald Trump on horseback as the Marlboro man.
Bibles created by country musician Lee Greenwood.
A bedazzled gun-shaped purse.
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All of this and more could be yours at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.
Visitors looking for their own keepsake could find booths selling merchandise both in and outside of the American Airlines Center.
![Play video](data:image/svg+xml,<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" fill="%23ffffff" viewBox="0 0 256 256">%0A%09<path d="M240,128a15.74,15.74,0,0,1-7.6,13.51L88.32,229.65a16,16,0,0,1-16.2.3A15.86,15.86,0,0,1,64,216.13V39.87a15.86,15.86,0,0,1,8.12-13.82,16,16,0,0,1,16.2.3L232.4,114.49A15.74,15.74,0,0,1,240,128Z">%0A</path></svg>)
Trump Bibles, “Trump 2028” hats and an autographed guitar priced at $11,000 are among the items being sold outside the Republican midterm convention at Dallas’ American Airlines Center. Official merch is offered inside the convention, including Dallas 2026 tote bags, Make America Great Again hats and 2026 midterm convention hats. Find more convention news at the link in our bio. Video: Annika Sunkara, Shannon Worley / Social video producers
Jason Jisa is one of the vendors setting up racks and tables full of purses, hats, jackets and stuffed animals outside just beyond the convention security perimeter. Jisa and his wife operate the USA Trump Store and say they have been to countless rallies.
The hottest item is the jackets, he said.
“We’re the OGs of the sequin jackets,” Jisa said. “We’re the originators and everybody else copies what we do, and get jealous sometimes.”
Read more: MAGA hats and gun purses: Souvenirs from Dallas’ Republican convention
By noon Thursday, reporters were filming news segments on the arena floor, where rows of empty seats would soon fill with conventiongoers.
Staff ran sound checks onstage while volunteers placed signs emblazoned with American flags on the floor, propping them up on the chairs. Some read “Made in the USA” and “Keep the Majority.”
For many preparing the American Airlines Center for the convention’s second night, it was a quick turnaround after President Donald Trump’s nearly two-hour speech stretched until about 10 p.m. Wednesday.
A couple sits amongst several empty seats as President Donald Trump speaks during the Republican convention at American Airlines Center on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
President Donald Trump repeatedly described the American Airlines Center as “packed” during his opening-night remarks Wednesday, suggesting that visible empty seats belonged to attendees visiting the restroom.
The arena floor and lower bowl were mostly full, but some upper-level sections were sparsely populated, with entire rows empty. Organizers had tried several approaches to distributing tickets, including packages priced as high as $20,000 before prices were reduced. Free tickets were later offered to Dallas-area residents.
Trump predicted news outlets would photograph temporarily vacant seats and claim the arena was not full. His remarks drew laughter before he asked attendees to wait until his speech ended to use the restroom.
“So please, if you don’t mind, don’t anybody go to the bathroom,” Trump said.
Related: Empty seats at the GOP midterm convention? Blame it on small bladders.
Hundreds of people lined up to enter the American Airlines Center Wednesday to get a glimpse of President Donald Trump and support Republican politicians at the first GOP midterm convention.
During Trump’s nearly two-hour speech, he sent a clear message to supporters: show up in November or cede power to the Democrats.
“I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump said. “Just one more time. Because if we lose, you’re going to lose your border, you’re going to lose your tax cuts, you’re going to lose your safety and security.”
While Trump’s name won’t officially appear on the November ballot, his image was plastered all over the heavily secured arena hosting a celebration of his Make America Great Again movement.
Republicans are counting on Trump to convince his followers to push the message that their voters need to get in the game or risk plunging the final two years of Trump’s presidency into a morass of investigations, impeachments and legislative logjams.
Related: GOP looks to Trump to rally voters ahead of midterm elections
The second night at American Airlines Center will feature a speech from Vice President JD Vance and some closing remarks from Trump.
A few notable Texas politicians to grace the stage Thursday include Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
View the day two convention program here.
– José Sánchez Córdova
President Donald Trump told supporters Wednesday that every adult U.S. citizen would receive a $5,000 “Trump dividend” if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm election. Trump likened the proposed payments to a corporation distributing money to its shareholders.
The proposal would cost well over $1 trillion. Trump said recipients would have to spend the money in the United States, while commentators questioned the plan’s legality and propriety and warned about its potential effects on the national debt and inflation.
President Donald Trump pledged Wednesday to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
Joe Snell, The Dallas Morning News
Vice President JD Vance defended the proposal, saying tariff revenue could be used to reward American workers. But not all Republicans were convinced. U.S Rep. Chip Roy of Austin questioned how the government would pay for a plan costing more than $1 trillion.
Related: Republicans look to Dallas to expand their reach in big cities
Senate candidate James Talarico’s faith and his understanding of Christianity was a hot topic for Republican leaders on night one of the GOP midterm convention in Dallas.
Talarico’s previous statements about God, gender and Christianity have been under a watchful eye as he inches closer to his election day race for U.S. Senate against current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, who represents parts of Frisco, said during his remarks Wednesday that Talarico is an extreme and deceptive candidate.
“It’s somebody who will hollow out your most deeply held Christian faith and wear it like a skin suit,” said Gill.
President Donald Trump referenced Talarico in his speech late Wednesday night. Trump said Talarico “claimed that the Ten Commandments are a form of fascism.”
Related: Talarico’s faith becomes a frequent target of Republican messaging at GOP convention in Dallas
Stars are stuck along Elm Street in a mock “Jeffery Epstein Walk of Shame” in Dallas, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
Along a stretch of Elm Street near Dealey Plaza and The Sixth Floor Museum, passersby might spot more than a dozen shiny blue stars affixed to the sidewalk. At the beginning of the display, a circular sticker features a picture of Jeffrey Epstein with the words “Walk of Shame” above it.
Each star bears the name of a figure in government or business and includes a QR code linking to an article about that person. Among those named are President Donald Trump and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Although each star features a different name, all include images of Epstein.
Signs depicting a Jeffrey Epstein ‘Walk of Shame’ and ‘GOP Gone Wild’ messages appeared in downtown Dallas, not far from the GOP midterm convention.
Elissa Jorgensen, The Dallas Morning News
At the intersection of Elm and North Austin streets, two collages of magazine-style posters have been placed on the side of a building. Both are titled “GOP gone WILD.”
“Real scandals!” one reads.
Some posters name specific people, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Others refer more broadly to federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Related: Survivors push for answers as Epstein files ‘reading room’ opens in Dallas
Marco Hunter-Lopez, a junior at Wylie East High School, told his teachers that he’d be missing classes Wednesday and Thursday to attend the convention. He plans to ask Texas GOP chair D’Rinda Randall for an absentee note.
“I’m watching the president speak,” Marco said. “I’ll have to do my work online on Google Classroom or something.”
Wylie, like other Dallas suburbs, has been at the center of debates over the changing religious and racial makeup of Texas. Many Texas Republicans have made opposition to Shariah and new mosques a major pillar of their campaigns this year.
Marco and his classmate Clarissa Kima were gifted free tickets from the Texas GOP to “incentivize” students who had been involved with the party. Both students are leaders of a Turning Point chapter at their school.
Marco and Clarissa plan to take ideas they hear at the convention back to their Turning Point chapter in Wylie where they help identify classmates who, as they put it, are conservative but don’t know it yet.
Related: These high schoolers missed class for Dallas’ midterm GOP convention
The Rev. Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, will speak Thursday at the convention.
Jeffress is a stalwart supporter of President Donald Trump. During the president’s first campaign, Jeffress was one of several evangelical faith leaders on Trump’s faith advisory council. Evangelical Christians have been a loyal base for Trump for over ten years.
First Baptist Dallas, a prominent megachurch affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, is rebuilding after a devastating fire destroyed its historic sanctuary two years ago. Jeffress’ theology from the pulpit, Fox News and the national stage have made him one of America’s most influential evangelical voices.
Owner Haley Popp poses for a photo at Hive Bakery in Flower Mound, Texas, Saturday, July 11, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Hive Bakery in Flower Mound welcomed President Donald Trump to Texas with a pointed message. The bakery is selling frosted sugar cookies decorated with the words “F— Trump” to mark the GOP midterm convention in Dallas.
“Orange Face is literally breaking laws left and right,” Haley Popp wrote this week on Facebook, referring to the president’s tanned glow. “We’re still baffled that there are people in America who still support this fa$cist regime. So, we’ll do what we do best. Speak out.”
Hive sold out of the cookies Tuesday through online pre-orders. The initial Facebook post has received some 2,000 comments, sparking both delight and fury.
This is not the first time Hive Bakery has ignited an uproar with its baked goods. In July, Popp said she was not celebrating July 4 and instead made cookies that read “Under distress.” The post was shared on X by an influential, far-right group, spurring a flood of angry phone calls and emails and long lines that wrapped around the shopping center from supportive customers.
“I refuse to be caged,” she said. “You can’t tell me what to do. It’s my business. It’s my life.”
Related: Flower Mound bakery taunts Trump with viral cookies as GOP convention begins in Dallas
Dallas developer and co-chair of the Dallas Host Committee, Ray Washburne, said on NBC5’s Lone Star Politics on Sunday that he does not expect the city to cover the convention’s expenses.
The committee said it raised $45 million in private donations to cover the convention.
People hold the Paxton signs as President Donald Trump speaks during the Republican convention at American Airlines Center, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas.
Chitose Suzuki/The Dallas Morning News
Dallas officials estimate the city will spend $2.5 million in event-related costs, said Chief of Public Safety Dominique Artis in a memo last week.
The city is anticipating $1.8 million in police costs, $200,000 for Dallas Fire-Rescue, $25,000 for emergency management and crisis response and $25,000 for transportation support.
The committee said it will determine final expenses after the convention.
“We don’t plan on the city being on the hook for anything,” Washburne said.
– Devyani Chhetri and staff reporters
Related: TV Talk: Dallas not expected to be ‘on the hook’ for GOP convention costs, fundraiser says
Several media outlets will be streaming the convention and speeches as they’re happening.
The Dallas Morning News’ website will be hosting an online stream of the festivities, including speeches from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, beginning Wednesday.
C-SPAN announced live coverage of day two of the convention to begin at 2 p.m. Thursday and can be watched on its website.
PBS News is going to host live coverage starting at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Day one and day two live streams of the convention can be found on the news site’s YouTube channel.
FOX News will present live coverage from Dallas on both days of the convention on several of its daytime and primetime shows. A list of the shows can be found on its site.
Related: Trump, Vance among many to speak at Republican midterm convention in Dallas
Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 100 degrees in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast for Thursday. North Texas could see a 40-60% chance of storms Thursday afternoon and evening, while the convention is underway.
On Wednesday, Dallas Fire-Rescue responded to some heat-related emergencies for people attending the convention, Jason Evans, a spokesperson for the department said. Six people were treated and released, and two people were transported for further help.
Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to make his first appearance at the Republican midterm convention Thursday.
President Donald Trump is also scheduled to speak again, following a nearly two-hour speech Wednesday night that covered immigration, the economy, crime, healthcare and other topics.
During his remarks, Trump also promised he’d return to Texas to campaign for Ken Paxton, the state’s attorney general who is running for the U.S. Senate seat.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., center, and Vice President JD Vance listen to President Donald Trump speak during the Republican convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
“We have to elect Ken Paxton,” Trump said. “We have to.”
Paxton is currently behind his opponent, James Talarico, in fundraising, sparking some concerns about the attorney general’s prospects of getting the seat in November.
During his speech Wednesday night, Trump repeated remarks he previously made that expressed his dislike for the way Paxton dresses and speaks. He told the crowd he was urged against it by his analysts, but he opted to anyway, because the last time he did it, “[Paxton] went through the roof,” he said.
American Airlines Custodial staff cleared leftover signs, empty cups and scattered popcorn kernels following the hours of speeches at around 11 p.m. Wednesday. Workers were tasked with cleaning the entire center, and by their estimates, it would taken them between six to seven hours.
– Nicole Asbury and Sally Avila Edwards