Republicans forecast that more than 20,000 people will be on hand for what they are calling a groundbreaking midterm convention in Dallas.
Yet as President Donald Trump prepares to take the stage on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center, observers wonder less about the arena’s capacity and more about how many Republicans will actually fill those seats.
Trump asserted on Tuesday night that the two-day gathering was sold out and that “everyone wants to be there.” He intends to cap the event on Thursday with a keynote address.
“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.”
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“We want to reserve the ‘stage’ for them. We don’t need people who are up by 45 points and have been in office for 30 years, as much as we cherish them all! In any case, I’ll be speaking tomorrow night, and I’ll close things 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 development that would seem unlikely for a political gathering built around Trump.
With the Republican National Committee preparing to open its unprecedented convention, organizers have been distributing “FREE TICKETS” through a public lottery, unsolicited text messages and appeals to GOP operatives to hand out the passes.
The scramble to fill seats is turning into an awkward backdrop for an event Trump has billed as a sweeping demonstration of Republican strength. At least 45 Republican candidates and lawmakers have said they will skip the gathering, dozens more remain undecided, and First Lady Melania Trump is also opting out.
The growing roll of missing participants has raised questions about how much enthusiasm there is within the party for a convention intended to rally Republicans before the November midterms.
“Trump-A-Palooza” will feature more than 100 speakers and guests, including Trump himself and Vice President JD Vance.
Trump has framed the event as both a celebration of his administration and a kickoff for his political campaign, while the party hopes it will mobilize voters at a moment when Republicans hold only narrow congressional majorities and bear the historical disadvantage of being the party in power during a midterm election.
Despite the robust push to sell tickets, organizers remain determined to fill the Dallas arena, which seats roughly 21,000 people. RNC officials have set ambitious expectations.
“This event will be larger than the Republican convention in Milwaukee in 2024,” spokesman Zach Kraft said in a recent interview.
“The excitement we’re seeing on the ground from grassroots Republicans in Texas and across the country is real, and because of that, we expect this to be the largest midterm convention since 2016.”
That assertion has faced scrutiny when compared to the scale of past gatherings: 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 up to $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 seating.
During a briefing call, organizers told GOP operatives that tickets remained available and urged them to distribute the passes within their networks.
The ticket giveaway comes as some Republicans appear hesitant to spend valuable campaign time at an event that centers heavily on the president.
The cost of attendance has also reportedly irked some party members, while candidates in competitive races have little incentive to leave their campaigns for a gathering where the president is expected to dominate the stage.
Concurrently, the RNC is aiming to turn the convention into a lucrative fundraising opportunity. According to reporting by the Daily Beast, cited by Knewz, Trump donors are being asked to pay $250,000 for a roundtable with the president, plus another $88,600 for a photo with him. Access to Vance carries a lower—but still steep—price: $75,000 for a roundtable, with photos costing an additional $35,000.
Trump’s political standing could complicate matters further. His approval ratings have slipped to historic lows in recent coverage, while Republicans face challenging contests nationwide.
The convention also serves a distinct political aim in Texas, where Trump and his allies hope to bolster Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton. Paxton faces Democrat James Talarico in what has become a surprisingly competitive race in a state long regarded as a GOP stronghold. Trump recently donated $10 million from his MAGA Inc. super PAC to support Paxton’s bid.
Trump has continued to promote the gathering in his signature grandiose fashion.
But the speaker lineup has stirred its own controversy, the Beast reports. Attorney General Todd Blanche plans to appear, prompting questions about whether his participation in partisan political activity could violate the Hatch Act. The law bans federal executive-branch employees from using their official positions to influence elections.
The confirmed slate includes prominent congressional and party figures, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senators John Barrasso and Ted Cruz, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Donald Trump Jr., former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Notably absent is Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has publicly clashed with Trump; however, CBS News reports Thune is still expected to attend off-stage fundraising events in Dallas.
The convention may also struggle for television time, the New York Post reports.
Its Wednesday opening clashes with the NFL season opener between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, while Thursday’s schedule overlaps with the San Francisco 49ers–Los Angeles Rams game. Major networks have been reticent about preempting their regular programming, though Fox News and C-SPAN have pledged extensive live coverage from Dallas.
RNC officials remain confident the event will attract viewers.
“President Trump is one of the greatest showmen in history, and we fully expect Dallas to deliver a spectacular performance that will attract a massive audience,” 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 level of enthusiasm Trump and the RNC had anticipated.
“Free tickets aren’t going to do the job. He’ll need to compensate people by the hour. It will cost extra if he wants them to appear genuinely excited,” one observer wrote. Another commenter dismissed the event in two words: “Hard pass.”
Others ridiculed 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.”
