President Donald Trump will take center stage at the Republican National Committee’s first-ever midterm convention next month in Dallas, with a keynote address scheduled for the second night and appearances on both evenings.
The September 9-10 event is designed as a primetime showcase of Trump administration victories since the president took office. Vice President JD Vance will deliver the opening keynote on night one.
For the first time in RNC history, the convention will open to the public through a free ticket lottery.
“President Donald Trump and Republicans have delivered historic results for the American people, and every hour of this historic convention will tell that story.”
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said the two-day event will walk Americans through the party’s defining issues and what’s at stake in November.
“Each hour will have its own theme, its own message, and its own voices, building toward President Donald Trump’s vision for the next chapter of American greatness,” Gruters said. “This will be unlike any political convention America has seen before.”
The convention’s messaging memo frames a stark contrast: strong borders versus sanctuary cities, the One Big Beautiful Bill’s tax relief versus Democrat economic policy, and school choice versus what the RNC calls liberal lectures on transgender ideology in youth sports.
Night one — September 9 — will spotlight the Working Families Tax Cuts, waste and fraud elimination efforts, and healthcare wins including the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program.
Speakers will hammer the SAVE America Act, Trump’s election reform initiative, while introducing Republican candidates in target districts. The program will showcase No Tax on Tips, the enhanced Child Tax Credit, and border enforcement achievements including sixteen consecutive months of zero interior releases.
The convention plans to highlight Trump’s America First trade policy, religious freedom protections, and efforts to clean up cities including the nation’s capital.
Education policy takes center stage with segments on rooting out gender ideology and critical race theory from American institutions.
Night two — September 10 — opens with families benefiting from No Tax on Overtime and No Tax on Social Security. The program will feature Trump’s school choice expansions, hostages brought home under his administration, and anti-corruption measures including a Capitol Hill trading ban.
The second evening will honor the legacy of Charlie Kirk on the one-year anniversary of his death, converting that remembrance into voter mobilization — a mission Kirk championed through Turning Point USA.
Angel Parents and border victims will share their stories. The convention will also mark the 25th anniversary of September 11 with children and families of first responders.
In the hour before Trump’s keynote, speakers will present what the RNC calls the “Opposition Contrast” — the sharpest partisan case against Democrat policies.
Trump takes the stage at 9 p.m. Eastern time.
The party’s core message, according to internal documents, warns that the November elections will decide America’s path: prosperity and peace through strength, or what the RNC describes as far-left ideology that has decimated cities and outsourced jobs to China.
“The choice is crystal clear.”
The convention comes as Democrats grapple with an influx of Democratic Socialist of America candidates — a dynamic Trump has seized on to argue the opposition has veered too far left for American voters.
Republicans see the Dallas gathering as a chance to unify around a simple economic and cultural message heading into the midterms.
