Things don’t seem to be going so well for the “Trump-a-palooza” mid-term Republican convention scheduled to take place in Dallas this week.
For starters, Republicans appear to be having a hard time filling up the room for the unprecedented two-day gathering. So much so that they’re now giving away tickets to what was once billed as a high-dollar fundraiser.
A text message sent to party donors as recently as last week advertised “FREE TICKETS” to the event, according to the Dallas Morning News. Party leadership also informed local GOP operatives that tickets were still available, and they could be entered into a lottery for a chance at a front-row seat, the paper reports.
The convention, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, is expected to feature 109 speakers and plenty of themed programming.
Speakers include Trump Cabinet members such as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Associated Press reports. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to deliver Wednesday’s keynote, while Trump is expected onstage both evenings and will close the convention Thursday at 8 p.m.
Beyond being the first GOP mid-term convention in history, it also differs from a typical political convention in that there’s no official party business on the agenda. Normally, a convention serves as a platform to formally nominate candidates, but with primary contests already decided, that’s not the case here.
Though event organizers say the event will revolve around “themed hours,” the purpose and vision of the event remain murky — that is, beyond serving as a rally for Trump, who’s not even on the ballot.
As such, one GOP strategist speaking on condition of anonymity to political publication Puck predicted the event will be a “shitshow.”
Other strategists cautioned that the event has been planned haphazardly since it was announced in June, telling The New Republic that invitations only went out in the past few weeks. That means some lawmakers are already booked for other obligations.
One House Republican, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Politico the convention is a “waste of time” and that its planning was a “mess.”
The event will take place at the American Airlines Center, which has a capacity of 21,000. As of press time, there is no official count of how many tickets have sold.
What is now a desperate giveaway started as a high-dollar fundraiser, according to news reports. And the high price of admission might have been part of what kept some Republican faithful away.
For those willing to pay, $250,000 will get a donor a seat at a roundtable discussion with Trump, according to the event website. A commemorative photo is available to those willing to shell out another $88,600.
House members have been asked to pay a minimum of $25,000 for admission for themselves plus one guest.
The lack of response has caused convention organizers to start emailing local Republicans asking if they want to get in for free, Yahoo News reports.
Some Republicans have told media outlets that they plan to skip the event, opting instead to stay in their home districts to campaign or, seemingly, do anything else.
“I just felt I’d be more useful in my district,” Representative Tom Barrett told Politico. “I travel a lot for this job and if I can be back home and see my family and do the job back home as well, then that’s sort of what I lean toward doing.”
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole told Politico he’s not attending due to a dove-hunting event back home in Oklahoma.
Yep, that’s right. Dove hunting.
Of 70 Republican candidates and House members surveyed by Politico, 45 said that they wouldn’t be at the event for reasons ranging from the high ticket prices to prior engagements back home.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t appear on the published speaker list, though he’s expected in Dallas for fundraisers. And even though Trump will address the crowd twice, First Lady Melania Trump isn’t scheduled to speak either.
Other lawmakers have told media outlets that the event would take them off the campaign trail for crucial days during a consequential election season, and some are battling tough races in battleground districts. Even for those who attend, it remains to be seen whether further association with a president whose approval rating is at a historic low will be anything but a liability.
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