EXPLAINER | What to know about Trump’s strange midterm convention

US president Donald Trump and his Republican Party are taking the unusual step of staging a national Republican convention ahead of November’s midterm elections, gambling that a high-profile show of party unity can energise supporters and help Republicans defy historical midterm losses, despite Trump’s low approval ratings.

Unlike traditional party conventions, which are held during presidential election years to nominate candidates and approve party agendas, the gathering in Texas has no formal business to conduct.

Trump began floating the idea last year as a way to make himself the focal point of Republican midterm campaigns, amid concerns the party has often underperformed when he is not on the ballot.

The gathering at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday comes less than two months before November 3 elections that could end Republican control of Congress and sharply constrain Trump’s last two years in office.

It’s a critical time right before early voting begins nationwide—  Mike Johnson, Republican House Speaker

Trump began discussing a midterm convention about a year ago and will take centre stage, speaking on both days. He is due to deliver a keynote address on Wednesday and give closing remarks on Thursday.

Now, after months of negative headlines tied to rising living costs and the Iran war, and Trump’s approval rating of 33%, the lowest of his second term according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, some party insiders have said​ they are concerned the Republican national committee may struggle to attract members and activists to the event.

Many of the candidates scheduled to speak are in tight races, including four locked in major Senate races and at least 10 in close contests for the House of Representatives.

Republican House speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged at a media conference last week that many Republican legislators will remain in their districts and not attend. “It’s a critical time right before early voting begins nationwide,” he said. Organisers have expressed confidence that the arena will be filled.

Some Republican strategists warn the convention could backfire given Trump’s unpopularity and the fact he has repeatedly told Americans to endure the economic costs of the Iran war, saying high gas prices are worth paying to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Party officials say the convention offers a platform to refocus voters on Trump’s tax cuts, his efforts to secure the southern border with Mexico, domestic manufacturing and his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, including a push to lower drug prices.

Convention planners and many party insiders also view the event as the party’s best hope of energising Republican voters, whose enthusiasm trails that of Democrats, according to opinion polls. It is common for the party in power to suffer significant midterm losses two years into a president’s term.

Trump and other speakers are expected to seize on a string of victories by left-wing and democratic socialist candidates in Democratic primaries to paint Democrats as extreme and out of touch with the concerns of working families.

Trump has repeatedly and falsely called Democrats “communists” this year, a major line of attack heading into the convention.

Kendall Witmer, a spokesperson for the Democratic national committee, said the convention was a distraction from the concerns voters have about high prices.

Vice-president JD Vance’s appearance will be closely watched as Republicans begin looking ahead to the 2028 presidential contest, in which he is widely viewed as a leading contender. He will speak just before Trump’s closing remarks on Thursday.

Organisers say they expect about 30,000 attendees over the two days of the convention, which has been funded by Republican donors and will cost more than $40m.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, health and human services secretary Robert F ‌Kennedy junior and attorney-general Todd Blanche will be among the speakers.

Organisers say each night will showcase Republican candidates running in key congressional races around the country and also “everyday Americans” who say they have been helped by Trump’s policies.

The event will focus on topics such as trade, public safety and Republican candidates contrasting “the extreme positions” of Democrats.

On Thursday, the eve of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 2001 attacks, organisers plan a remembrance with the families of emergency responders.

On the final night, young Republicans will mark the one-year anniversary of the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead on a Utah college campus.