"God, Family, Football, and Trump"... Visiting the Scene to Find a Twist

00:00 The First-Ever 'Midterm' Republican Convention? Going Inside

01:24 The Core of This Convention: 'MAGA'

02:27 Did the Convention Go Trump's Way?

04:01 What's Happening Outside the Convention Hall?

1. The First-Ever 'Midterm' Republican Convention? Going Inside

We are in Dallas, Texas. This is the site of the Republican midterm convention. The first-ever midterm Republican convention was held across the 9th and 10th, local time.

[USA!! USA!! USA!!]

Normally, a convention is held to select candidates ahead of an election, whether it is for president or the Senate. But this convention is different. It is not being held to pick anyone. It is a gathering where Republicans, including MAGA—the ardent supporters of President Trump—gather to pledge to "unite around Trump and win the November 3 midterm elections." In fact, the venue was plastered with pictures of Trump. President Trump changed his original plans and delivered speeches for two consecutive days. Attendees' badges were also made with pictures of Trump like this.

[Joe / Dallas Resident: If you're from Texas, you'll understand this. It's 'God, family, football, and Donald Trump.' Trump is restoring all the values that had been fading away for years.]

I have been at the convention site for two days now. To be honest, it is all about Trump from start to finish. Every single speaker praised Trump throughout their speeches.

[Karoline Leavitt / Former White House Press Secretary: It has been the honor of my life to serve President Trump.]

Attendees responded with standing ovations and enthusiastic cheers.

2. The Core of This Convention: 'MAGA'

What we need to watch most closely at this convention are these attendees, namely 'MAGA.' They are Trump's most powerful support base and the people who filled the convention venue.

[Sherilyn Prince / San Antonio: I am so excited to see his speech again. I haven't seen his speech in person since 2016, and just the fact that people like us got the chance to see him again is an honor.]

Why is this important? From Trump's perspective, winning the midterm elections immediately in November is the best-case scenario, but if that is realistically impossible, he at least needs to prove that he still holds political influence within the Republican Party. This is because he must maintain his political clout within the party during the second half of his administration and even after leaving office.

[Aaron Del Mar / Lieutenant Governor Candidate for Illinois: There are many great 'red states' (Republican-leaning states) here like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee, and I want to talk to elected officials from those regions.]

The yardstick for that is none other than 'MAGA.' President Trump likely wanted to show off his strength through this convention, which was broadcasted nationwide across the United States.

3. Did the Convention Go Trump's Way?

However, whether this convention truly and clearly displayed the power of MAGA and became a box-office hit is difficult to say.

[Here is inside the convention hall. It is also the home arena of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. They say about 20,000 people can fit if this arena is packed. But as you can see, there are many empty seats here and there.]

Compared to a year ago, when over 70,000 supporters flocked to a memorial service for Trump aide Charlie Kirk held in Arizona, the contrast in temperature is quite significant. Recently, President Trump hit his lowest approval rating of his second term at 33 percent. The war with Iran continues to weigh him down, and rising prices, including oil prices, are acting as negative factors. To cover up these headwinds, Trump announced on the first day of the convention that if they win both the House and the Senate in the midterms, he would give 5,000 dollars per adult citizen in the United States, which is about 6.7 million won in our money.

[Donald Trump / US President: We call it the 'Trump Dividend.' We are going to give 5,000 dollars to every adult citizen in America.]

[Ryan Ciriack / Texas: That's a great story. Nobody is going to turn down 5,000 dollars.]

[Everis / Texas: It's definitely an interesting story. I'm curious to see how it will be implemented.]

He claimed that the war with Iran would end right after the November 3 election, and that oil prices would plummet as well. Appealing to MAGA, he urged, "Consider that I am running in this midterm election. Consider that I am on the ballot." Attendees who identified themselves as MAGA responded that they deeply empathized with Trump's speech.

4. What's Happening Outside the Convention Hall?

Perhaps because they judged that standing alongside Trump would not help win votes, some battleground candidates—such as Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Dan Sullivan of Alaska—did not attend the convention. Most midterm candidates who spoke at the convention also did not mention the war with Iran. There is a Democratic politician whose name was mentioned more than anyone else after Biden at this convention: James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for Texas state senator.

[James Talarico / Democratic Candidate for Texas State Senator: The only truth is that we are a threat. We are a threat to their corrupt system.]

For reference, the Democrats have not won a single U.S. Senate election in Texas since 1988. Yet Talarico is currently locked in a neck-and-neck race with Ken Paxton, who enjoys full support from Trump. This has become almost the most symbolic showdown of these midterms. Around the Republican convention venue, about 30 foreign reporters, including us, flocked to a food donation event hosted by Talarico.

[Laurie / Dallas Resident: It's kind of a counter-rally, I suppose. But rather than holding a protest, it means using our energy to do something good and positive.]

Trump's super PAC, MAGA, has started pouring massive political funds into the Texas Senate race, and Trump appealed for support for Paxton, saying he would come back a second or third time if necessary.

[Donald Trump / US President: You know what happens if you don't vote? You're going to Hellbound, you know that. You know? You're going to Hellbound.]

However, the atmosphere outside the convention hall felt quite different in temperature, and Talarico's supporters are saying, "This time is different" and "Even Texas is turning its back on Trump." The atmosphere is not uniformly conservative, to the extent that clashes between anti-Trump and pro-Trump supporters took place during the convention period.

[Jimmy / Dallas: It's a protest against the Republican Party. That's not a convention. It's just a flashy Trump rally.]

Of course, since Texas is one of the most conservative states in the U.S., we will have to wait and see how the actual results turn out. However, politics ultimately comes down to how far the enthusiasm of the hardcore base can be expanded to the moderates. Looking at this convention, it does not seem entirely positive as to whether Trump's politics and MAGA's influence remain intact and whether they can continue to expand.

(Photo: Yonhap News) Produced by SBS Digital News

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