The reviews are in: Trump’s vanity-fest backfires on him — and the GOP

21 September

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media aboard Air Force One, en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., following a two-day visit to Ireland, September 13, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Nearly two weeks on from the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas, pundits and pollsters have had the chance to look over the response and judge its impact, and the news isn’t good for the GOP. The event – dubbed “Trumppapalooza” and intended to rally unenthusiastic conservative voters – appears to have had the exact opposite effect. As the Week notes, in the wake of the convention, President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to an all-time low.

According to the Week, “The music was loud, the flags were everywhere, and the ‘sense of panic’ was inescapable, said Nikki McCann Ramirez in Rolling Stone. With Election Day less than two months away, and polls showing Republicans in danger of losing both the House and Senate, the GOP earlier this month held its first-ever midterm convention in Dallas. The MAGA luminaries addressing ‘Trumpapalooza’ barely mentioned soaring gas prices or the quagmire in Iran, the related catastrophes that have dragged Trump’s approval rating down into the mid-30s. Instead, they gushed over Trump’s leadership; warned of an America overrun by Islamists, ‘killer migrants,’ and trans athletes if ‘evil’ Democrats win, and left it to Trump himself, addressing both nights of the event, to rally the MAGA faithful.”

But as New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie put it, “The cult of Trump is waning.” Thousands of seats went unfilled, many left empty by candidates who skipped out entirely, leaving fewer attendees to follow in the pledge Trump had them recite to “the greatest president in the history of the United States” before promising to “cheat like hell” in November.” He went on to promise a $5000 check to every adult American if Republicans win both houses of Congress in the midterms, but as the Week notes, “Far from juicing turnout for the GOP, Trumpapalooza may have just reminded the voting public of why they need to elect Democrats.”

“No one is falling” for Trump’s dividend “gimmick,” said the Washington Post. As the Week elaborates, “Congress would need to approve the payout, and not even the GOP’s Trumpified House delegation wants any part of a vote-buying scheme that would turbocharge inflation and add another $1.2 trillion to the $40 trillion national debt.” According to the Atlantic, Trump’s “$5,000-check promise may be the moment he finally underestimated his audience.”

“Does he really think voters have forgotten the DOGE ‘refund’ checks that were supposedly in the mail?” asks the Week. “Or the ‘tariff rebate’ checks he also promised? Trump’s free-money ‘ruse,’ like the rest of his shtick, has worn thin.”

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