Trump at Dallas Convention: ‘America Belongs to Those Who Love It’

President draws biggest cheers of the night with patriotic rallying cry, tells voters to ‘pretend I’m on the ballot’ in November midterms

By [Staff Writer] | September 11, 2026

DALLAS — President Donald Trump brought the Republican National Committee’s first-ever midterm convention to its feet Wednesday night with a simple, sweeping declaration about the soul of the nation.

“On election night, we’re going to prove that America does not belong to those who hate it,” Trump told a packed American Airlines Center. “America belongs to those who love it.”

The line, delivered during a nearly two-hour keynote address, drew the loudest and longest ovation of the evening, according to Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who called it “the biggest cheer they got from this crowd”.

The two-day convention, which party officials branded “Trump-a-palooza,” was the first midterm convention held by a major party since Democrats convened in 1982. It was designed around the president, who spoke on both nights and framed the November elections as a direct referendum on his presidency.

‘Pretend I’m on the Ballot’

Trump repeatedly urged the crowd to treat the midterms as if his name were on the ballot, acknowledging the historical pattern of sitting presidents’ parties losing ground in midterm elections.

“For some reason, when a president wins — even if he’s really a good president or a great president — they don’t win the midterms, and nobody quite knows why,” Trump said. “We’ve got to change that because we have something going that’s so good we can’t let that string be broken. So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot.”

Earlier in the speech, he put it more bluntly: “I’m on the ballot. Just one more time.”

The president warned that a Democratic victory would mean losing “your border,” “your tax cuts,” and “your safety and security,” telling the crowd: “If we lose, you’re going to lose”.

The $5,000 ‘Trump Dividend’

The most striking policy promise of the night came when Trump pledged that every American adult would receive a $5,000 payment if Republicans retain control of both the House and Senate.

“Here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them,” Trump said, “I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000.”

He attached a single condition: the money must be spent domestically. “We don’t want you going to Canada to spend the money,” he said.

The proposal drew immediate scrutiny. Baier, speaking on Fox News immediately after the speech, noted the $1.3 trillion price tag and pressed Vice President JD Vance on the criticism that “the president is bribing voters and he’s bankrupting the country”. Vance responded that tariff revenues would cover the cost, saying Americans would “share in” the benefits of the administration’s trade policies.

Trump also made a similar promise in November 2025, pledging $2,000 tariff-funded payments that never materialized after the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs.

Iran, Gas Prices, and the Strait of Hormuz

The president used the speech to address two issues that have weighed on his approval ratings: the ongoing war with Iran and elevated gas prices.

Trump predicted the conflict would end “immediately after” the November elections, without explaining the timeline. He also forecast that oil prices would “tumble downward” after the midterms, telling the crowd: “We’ll get them below $2 a gallon”.

He repeated his suggestion that the Strait of Hormuz — a critical oil chokepoint — could be renamed the “Trump Strait” following earlier moves to rebrand the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” and Lake Ontario as “Lake America”.

Taking Aim at Democrats

Trump mocked Democrats throughout the address, calling them “dumocrats” and touting his opposition to transgender women participating in women’s sports.

He also urged Texans to rally around Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ousted the more moderate Sen. John Cornyn in the primary and now faces a tough general election against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.

A Party United — and Divided

The convention showcased Republican unity behind Trump but also revealed strains. Two of the most vulnerable Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Dan Sullivan of Alaska — were notably absent from the more than three dozen speakers on the first night.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania made a surprise appearance in a video message praising his Republican colleague Dave McCormick and vowing to work with Trump on steel industry issues.

The Road Ahead

Trump told the crowd he would campaign aggressively in the 55 days remaining before the election, promising rallies in about 35 competitive House and Senate races.

“We can win every one of those races,” he said. “We’re going to have rallies just like this — big arenas, loaded up with people”.

The convention concluded Thursday night with a keynote address from Vice President Vance, who echoed Trump’s central message. Democrats, Vance said, have become a party that “stands against America” — and the country should belong “to those that love it, not those that hate it”.