Republicans say more than 20,000 people will attend the first-of-its-kind midterm convention in Dallas.
But as President Donald Trump prepares to take the stage Wednesday at the American Airlines Center, the question may be less about how many seats the arena can hold than how many Republicans actually show up to fill them.
Trump claimed Tuesday night that the two-day event was sold out, and “everyone wants to be there.” He plans to close out Thursday with a keynote speech.
“The Republican National Convention, tomorrow night in Dallas, is really “HOT!” The American Airlines Center, home to the Dallas Mavericks, is totally sold out!,”Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Everybody wants to be there, but we’re really asking only those Candidates that are in tight Races, a little up, a little down, or even, to speak.”
“We want to save the “stage” for them. We don’t need people who are up 45 points, and have been in office for 30 years, as much as we love them all! Anyway, I’ll be speaking tomorrow night, and “closing it out” on Thursday! Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. See you in Dallas! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The latest sign of trouble arrived this week with a message that would seem hard to imagine for a political convention built around Trump.
With the Republican National Committee preparing to open its unprecedented convention, organizers have been offering “FREE TICKETS” through a public lottery, unsolicited text messages and appeals to GOP operatives to distribute the passes.
The scramble to fill seats is becoming an awkward backdrop for an event Trump has promoted as a massive show of Republican strength. At least 45 Republican candidates and lawmakers have said they plan to stay away, dozens more remain undecided, and First Lady Melania Trump is also skipping the gathering.
The growing list of absences has raised questions about how much enthusiasm the party has for a convention designed to rally Republicans before the November midterm elections.
“Trump-A-Palooza” will feature more than 100 speakers and guests, including Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump has framed the gathering as both a celebration of his administration and a campaign kickoff, while the party hopes it will energize voters at a time when Republicans hold only slim congressional majorities and face the historical disadvantage of being the party in power during a midterm election.
Despite the aggressive ticket push, organizers remain determined to pack the Dallas arena, which seats about 21,000 people. RNC officials have set high expectations.
“This event will be larger than the Republican convention in Milwaukee in 2024,” spokesman Zach Kraft said in an interview last month.
“The excitement that we are seeing on the ground from grassroots Republicans in Texas and across this country is real, and because of that, we anticipate this will be the largest midterm convention since 2016.”
That claim has drawn scrutiny given the contrast in scale: the 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was a massive, four-day presidential nominating event that drew an estimated 50,000 delegates, donors, media members, and visitors.
Efforts to fill the Dallas venue have taken several forms. The Texas GOP initially offered convention packages costing as much as $20,000, with perks including “honorary delegate” credentials and floor access. The RNC later opened a public lottery for free tickets, with some winners promised VIP treatment and front-row seats.
During a briefing call, organizers told GOP operatives that tickets remained available and encouraged them to distribute the tickets through their personal networks.
The ticket giveaway comes as some Republicans appear reluctant to spend valuable campaign time at an event heavily centered on Trump.
The cost of attendance has also reportedly irritated some party members, while candidates in competitive races have little incentive to leave their campaigns for a gathering in which the president will dominate the spotlight.
At the same time, the RNC is looking to turn the convention into a lucrative fundraising opportunity. Trump donors are being asked to pay $250,000 for a roundtable with the president, plus another $88,600 for a photo with him, according to reporting by the Daily Beast as cited by Knewz. Access to Vance comes at a lower but still steep price: $75,000 for a roundtable, with photos costing an additional $35,000.
Trump’s political standing could make things even more complicated. His approval ratings have fallen to record lows, according to previous reporting, while Republicans face difficult contests across the country.
The convention also has a distinct political purpose in Texas, where Trump and his allies hope to help Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Paxton is facing Democrat James Talarico in what has become an unexpectedly competitive race in a state that has long been a Republican stronghold. Trump recently donated $10 million from his MAGA Inc. super PAC to support Paxton’s campaign.
Trump has also promoted the gathering in characteristically grand terms.
But the speaker lineup has brought its own controversy, the Beast reports. Attorney General Todd Blanche plans to appear, raising questions about whether his participation in partisan political activity could violate the Hatch Act. The law bars federal executive branch employees from using their official positions to influence elections.
The confirmed speaker lineup features prominent congressional and party figures, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, Sens. John Barrasso and Ted Cruz, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Donald Trump Jr., former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Notably absent from the roster is Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has clashed publicly with Trump; however, according to CBS News, Thune is still expected to attend off-stage fundraising events in Dallas.
The convention could also struggle for television attention, the New York Post reports.
Its Wednesday opening conflicts with the NFL season opener between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, while Thursday’s schedule overlaps with a game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Major broadcast networks have been vague about preempting regular entertainment lineups, though Fox News and C-SPAN have committed to extensive live coverage from Dallas.
RNC officials remain confident the event will draw viewers.
“President Trump is one of the greatest showmen in history, and we fully expect to have a spectacular showing in Dallas draw a massive viewership,” RNC spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre told the Post.
Online, however, critics seized on the free-ticket push as evidence that the convention may not be generating the enthusiasm Trump and the RNC expected.
“Free tickets aren’t going to do the job. He is going to have to pay people by the hour. It’s gonna cost extra if he wants them to look enthusiastic,” one observer wrote. Another commenter dismissed the event in just two words: “Hard pass.”
Others mocked the apparent scramble to fill the arena. “LOL… Trump can’t even give away tickets to his ridiculous GOP midterm convention, which he intends to make all about himself, much to the chagrin of the GOP.”
