GOP takes big election risk with 'Trumpapalooza' midterm convention
The Republican Party is organizing a midterm convention dubbed 'Trumpapalooza' to boost voter turnout ahead of the November elections. Strategists are divided on whether centering the event around Donald Trump will help or hinder candidates given his current approval ratings.
Why it matters
The event highlights the internal GOP debate over whether to embrace or distance themselves from the former president's political brand.
Hear this story WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump has a solution for his party’s midterm woes as Republicans struggle to match Democrats’ election enthusiasm and face major headwinds to keep control of Congress ‒ more Trump.
Enter “Trumpapalooza,” the party’s first-ever midterm convention and the president's clearest attempt yet to inject himself squarely at the center of the election and position himself as the party's savior.
Never mind that Trump’s low approval rating has been an anchor weighing on the GOP, with the potential to drag down midterm candidates. The president and his advisers have suggested he’s the only one who can bring the MAGA faithful to the polls in large enough numbers to avoid a midterm catastrophe for Republicans.
“This is a turnout race,” Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters said in an interview with USA TODAY. “We need the president front and center.”
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