Donald Trump Is Not Going Anywhere
A dispatch from Dallas 2026.
Ms. Cottle writes about national politics for Opinion.
As with everything President Trump touches, his party’s midterm mini-convention was a spectacle. Slick videos, light shows, balloons, U.F.C. fighters, Lee Greenwood and a sea of sparkles and sequins covering the thousands of MAGA devotees assembled to celebrate their leader.
However you want to characterize “Dallas 2026” — a convention, a political rally, “Trumpapalooza,” as its cheeky billing had it — the Republican Party’s midterm convention was at heart an extended opportunity for this president, who is feeling his impermanence, to drive home to his fellow Republicans, and really all of America: Everything is still all about me, so don’t try to wriggle away.
The president’s face and name were splashed everywhere. The attendees, many of whom shelled out big bucks for a ticket, were awash in Trump wear: hats, shirts, jackets. The merch fell into two categories: gear sporting the basic Dallas 2026 logo, alongside a variety of Trumpy MAGA options. Plus copies of Eric Trump’s book, piled near the checkout counter. (Can’t miss an opportunity for family enrichment!)
Mr. Trump was the scheduled closing act both nights, and his fans sat through hours of opening videos and speakers — a mix of candidates, cabinet members, congressional leaders and “everyday Americans.” Program participants had two key jobs: praise the president and terrify the party faithful about the communist, socialist, anarchist hellscape that a Democratic victory in November would usher in.
The latter message, of course, was also framed in terms of Mr. Trump’s unparalleled leadership. He saved America from the horrors wrought by President Joe Biden, and now it is up to his voters to keep Congress in Republican hands to enable him to “finish the job.” At long last, the president was getting a convention focused on attacking the Biden presidency, making up for the one he felt cheated out of in 2024.
