The convention will face stiff competition for viewers with the start of the NFL season, with opening night coinciding with a Super Bowl rematch between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks and Thursday's program overlapping with a matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.
Still, after months of negative headlines over the Iran war and inflation, many Republicans see the gathering as their best chance to promote candidates, draw contrasts with Democrats on affordability, immigration and healthcare, and energize a Republican electorate expressing less enthusiasm about voting than Democrats, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Trump cabinet members who will address the gathering include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, whose comments are likely to be closely watched amid concerns about the growing U.S. debt and high cost of living.
One notable absence from the published list of speakers is Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has publicly clashed with Trump over the Senate's failure to advance the SAVE America Act, a voting restrictions bill championed by the president. Thune will be at the convention, however, and will meet with donors and candidates, a person familiar with the matter said.
According to the program outline, speakers will cast Democrats as too far left while touting Trump's domestic record, including the administration's efforts to restrict immigration and lower drug prices and a 2025 tax-and-spending package that eliminated taxes on tips and Social Security benefits.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is dispatching four Democratic lawmakers to Dallas as part of the party's counter-programming effort.
"Americans are drowning in the failed Republican economy," Jeffries said in a statement. "Rather than taking a single step to lower costs, MAGA extremists are partying with their super-rich donors in Dallas."
By holding the event in Texas, Republicans are drawing attention to one of the midterms' highest-profile races: the U.S. Senate contest between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Democratic state Representative James Talarico. Paxton, a fiercely loyal Trump ally, was scheduled to speak on Wednesday.
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