Trump puts Iran war at center of midterm pitch

President Donald Trump urged Republicans to treat November’s midterms as a referendum on his leadership Wednesday night, promising a nationwide campaign blitz and defending the war with Iran as he opened an unusual midterm convention in Dallas.

Speaking to a friendly crowd at the American Airlines Center, Trump sought to place himself at the center of elections in which he is not on the ballot but his party’s control of Congress is at stake. Republicans are trying to hold both the House of Representatives and the Senate; losing either chamber would be a major constraint on Trump’s agenda.

“When I’m on the ticket, Republicans always do very well,” Trump said. “But for some reason, when a president wins … even if he’s a really good or great president, they don’t win the midterms.”

“We’re gonna change that,” he added. “So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot.”

Vice President JD Vance had initially been scheduled to headline the convention’s first night, according to Al Jazeera, but Trump took the top speaking slot after a last-minute change for which no reason was given. The convention, an event typically held only during presidential election cycles, was set to continue Thursday.

Trump said he would travel to roughly 35 competitive races in the closing stretch. “We can win every one of those races,” he said. “But I’m going to every one of those states for congressman and for senators.” He also pledged “rallies just like this” and promised a $5,000 “dividend” to all adult citizens if Republicans keep control of both chambers, though Al Jazeera reported it was unclear whether he could legally deliver on that claim.

The president also leaned into one of his biggest political vulnerabilities: the war with Iran. The conflict, launched alongside Israel on Feb. 28, is now in its seventh month after Trump had predicted it would last only four or five weeks, NBC News reported. A recent NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey found 69% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the war, while the share of Republicans who strongly approve has fallen 18 percentage points since spring to 30%.

“Does anybody here think that Iran should have a nuclear weapon? Anybody?” Trump asked. The crowd shouted back: “No!”

“The war will be over very shortly after the election,” Trump said. “They’re hanging out for dear life, hoping that we lose, so they can deal with dumb, weak Democrats, and they can have their nuclear bomb. But we’re not going to let that happen.”

Trump said oil and gas prices would fall once the war ends. Brent crude topped $100 a barrel for the first time in July as the conflict continued, according to Al Jazeera. Trump also said the United States was “winning” and in control of the Strait of Hormuz, despite Tehran continuing to restrict transit there, and repeated his desire to rename it “the Trump strait.” He also raised the possibility of further escalation, including a potential strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site.

Some attendees told NBC News they trusted Trump’s approach. “No one believes that Iran is going to defeat the United States,” said Jack Etheridge, an alternate delegate from Ohio. Vince Galko, a former top Pennsylvania GOP official, acknowledged higher gas prices had hurt but said consumers could tolerate “$4 gas for a few weeks rather than looking at a mushroom cloud over their kids’ school.”

The Dallas event also served as a platform for Republican candidates in tight races. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has trailed Democrat James Talarico in polling, warned that a Democratic statewide win in Texas would be historic and politically damaging. “If we lose Texas, we lose the common sense revolution. If we lose the common sense revolution, we lose America,” Paxton said.

Trump praised Paxton as the “greatest attorney general in America.” Other featured candidates included Monica de La Cruz, Sen. Jon Husted and Mike Collins. Pro-Israel Democrat John Fetterman made a surprise video appearance to introduce Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, though neither is up for re-election in November.

Republican speakers repeatedly cast the election as “mainstream versus the extreme,” highlighting immigration, tax cuts and Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” while attacking Democrats as radicals, socialists and communists. No candidates currently running in either party self-identify as communists, Al Jazeera reported.