Trump's Dallas midterm convention draws Democrat pushback over economy and Iran

Donald Trump opened his unusual Dallas midterm convention as Democrats staged parallel events and sharp attacks. The clash turned the gathering into a wider referendum on prices, the Iran war and political accountability.

In Short

• Illinois Governor J B Pritzker dismissed the gathering as election-season theatre
• James Talarico staged a church food drive to contrast Democratic priorities
• Talarico mocked pricey Trump photo opportunities by offering free pictures

Democrats joined Republicans in Dallas on Wednesday as Donald Trump opened a two-day midterm convention aimed at lifting Republican enthusiasm despite low approval ratings, economic concerns and dissatisfaction over the war with Iran. Democrats, looking to use voter frustration to try and win back control of Congress, said the event could not hide the party's record in office.

Several leading House Democrats were travelling to Dallas for related events, while Texas Democrats said they hoped the national attention on the state would help their candidates. Illinois Governor J B Pritzker, seen as a possible 2028 presidential contender, said, "This bizarre Republican midterm convention here can't paper over the fact that Republicans have done nothing to earn your vote."

Trump organised the gathering as an unusual midterm convention, unlike the presidential nominating conventions held every four years that involve official party business by delegates from across the country. He is set to feature on both nights and is also using the event to raise funds. Several Democrats mocked the idea of such a convention, calling it more of a made-for-TV spectacle than a formal party exercise.

Among those seeking to use the moment was James Talarico, who is running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a closely watched Senate race. He held a food drive at Friendship West Baptist Church in Dallas and contrasted the volunteer effort with the Republican event. "While we're here serving our neighbours, billionaire megadonors and their puppet politicians are clinking their Champagne glasses," Talarico said. "They are toasting to their own corruption. They are celebrating corrupt tariffs, billionaire tax breaks and a new forever war that are all driving up costs."

Talarico also joked about wealthy Republicans paying thousands of dollars for a photograph with Trump. "If you want a picture with me," he said, "it's free." Texas Democratic chairman Kendall Scudder said, "Trump's trickle-up economics is taking money out of your pocket and giving it to the richest people in this country," but added that Democrats wanted to do more than attack the president. "This party has stood in modern history on the side of working-class people," he said. "We're recapturing that narrative."

Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate challenging Governor Greg Abbott, also went to Dallas, where she visited a venue holding thousands of volumes of files linked to Jeffrey Epstein and met people who have accused him of sexual abuse. Trump had resisted releasing the files. Hinojosa said, "It's really incredible that we live in a country where the justice system is so broken at every level that there has not been accountability of what we know was extensive sexual abuse, exploitation that happened for decades. And those powerful people who run this country are still living their lives without having been held to account." As Republicans gathered around Trump in Dallas, Democrats used the occasion to argue that the event could not distract from concerns over the economy, the war with Iran and wider questions of accountability.

With PTI Inputs

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