Trump’s Worship Fest Turns Into A Massive Liability

Fewer than half of vulnerable Republicans in competitive races bothered to show up to their own party’s midterm kickoff.

A two-day Trump worship-fest has the true believers and the truly-desperate descending on Dallas to kiss the ring and beg for support.

This midterm “convention” is already a trainwreck that, if they’re lucky, no one will see. To that end, it is programmed against the first two games of the NFL season. So if it’s a flop, at least it will flop quietly.

In terms of what it is, “convention” is a strong term, since none of the actual “business” of a typical convention is taking place. What we have instead is a TV show. The executive producer-in-chief has put on an old school charity telethon, the kind that used to raise money for disaster aid. But the disaster here is Trump and his Republican Party.

The desperation started at the door - lawmakers had to pay between $25,000 and $100,000 just for the privilege of attending.

It’s telling who did and didn’t go. According to an NPR analysis, less than half of the Republican candidates in competitive House and Senate races were listed as convention speakers. They were offered a platform to make their case on the President’s stage and they said, “pass.”

Some of the most vulnerable candidates in the country declined the invitation. Representative David Valadao of California, who was already treading water before California redistricted opted out.

Representative Max Miller of Ohio decided showing up would be too much of a hit to his reputation— a guy facing allegations of domestic abuse against his ex-wife and toddler daughter.

Representative Thomas Kean Jr. of New Jersey opted out of the opportunity to put in face time, even after going missing from Congress for more than 100 votes.

Also absent from the roster is Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan, who’s running in one of the most competitive districts in the country, and Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who’s fighting for her political life.

I’d say even more telling are the people who doth protest too much: vulnerable Republicans snapping at reporters just for asking whether they’d be there. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia both yelled at journalists for the crime of even asking if they’d RSVP’d. What is it they say about a hit dog hollering?

Then you have the roster of who did show up. The clear charity case was Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, who is trailing his opponent James Talarico in both polling and money. Paxton, who was the charisma of a wooden spoon, got on stage and practically begged:

“I need your prayers, your vote and your support.”

Nothing screams confidence quite like a Senate candidate saying, pray for me.

Other speakers didn’t fare much better. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had the impossible task of selling voters on the Trump economy when 66% of them think it’s in the toilet. So, naturally, he did the only thing one can do: blame Biden. Trump himself dismissed the affordability crisis as a “hoax.” But also, it’s the Democrats’ fault. Heads I win, tails you lose.

When musicians start putting out the greatest hits albums, it’s the beginning of the end. The Republicans are terrified of the future, so they’re falling back on the past. They refuse to acknowledge the realities their constituents are facing, and even more reluctant to acknowledge the reality they’re facing themselves.