Trump's Bold Closing at GOP Convention Shakes Up the Crowd
DALLAS — The first-ever Republican midterm convention came to a raucous end after a heckler interrupted Vice President JD Vance’s speech, prompting the veep to seamlessly go off-script. The Mexican flag-waving man was promptly escorted to chants of “USA! USA! USA!” “Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there,” Vance riffed as he was dragged away. President Trump then took the stage to close out the event. The GOP honored slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk as it wrapped up its two-night midterm convention Thursday, marking exactly one year since the conservative firebrand was shot dead during a college campus event in Utah.POTUS addressed the packed arena for nearly two hours Wednesday, with vows to end cashless bail and increase death penalty use, slash “out-of-control credit card swipe fees,” pass “The Great Healthcare plan.” He also pushed a new bill making it illegal for future presidents “to open the border again.”Follow live updates from the final night of the midterm RNC for all the speeches, photos, news, reactions and more:Trump brings first-ever GOP midterm convention to a close
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Nikki Mascali Roarty President Trump spoke for 25 minutes and then turned the stage over to American tenor, Christopher Macchio, who has become a fixture at the commander in chief's rallies.Red, white, blue and gold — Trump's signature color — balloons fell from the ceiling to mark the end of the first-ever Republican midterm convention. Trump's remarks during Wednesday's opening keynote ran for almost two hours. Trump once again ridicules Ken Paxton: 'I'll tell you what I was thinking'
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Ryan King DALLAS — President Trump once again ribbed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, an apparent new source of personal amusement for him. President Trump once again ribbed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. GOP"Please, sir, don't say it," Trump recalled being told. "I'm not going to say it, but I'll tell you what I was thinking.""I don't like the way Ken dresses, although I also said he looked really sharp in that suit yesterday. Spiffy. And then I said, 'I don't really like the way Ken talks,'" Trump added. "I don't really like the way he looks; I don't like it."The jumbotron showed footage of Paxton as the president mocked him before the crowd and smiled briefly. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks with former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt at the Republican convention on Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. AP Photo/Julio Cortez"You know what I do like? He was the greatest attorney general in the history of Texas," Trump then declared.Trump leads arena in pledge to vote, tells them 'you go to hell' if not
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Steven Nelson President Trump asked thousands of convention attendees to raise their hand and pledge to vote in the midterms — cautioning them of eternal damnation if they failed to do so."I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States... I'm going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on Nov. 3, or we are going to vote before that," Trump began.After attendees eagerly complied, Trump added: "You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell."Trump says 'I've delivered on every single promise I've made' as he closes out first-ever GOP midterm convention
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Steven Nelson President Trump proclaimed in his closing remarks at the midterm convention that "in 19 months, I've delivered on every single promise I've made."Trump crowed about nearly eliminating illegal border crossings and enacting new tax cuts, saying, "We turned that dark age of America and turned it into the golden age of America."Trump crowed about nearly eliminating illegal border crossings and enacting new tax cuts. GOPIf Democrats reclaim power, he said, they would "confiscate your wealth ... abolish not tax on tips, no tax on overtime [and] destroy Texas oil and gas."Democrats would also "set loose criminals to rob, rape and kill like we had just two years ago," Trump said. "We went through hell."Vance invokes Charlie Kirk while addressing GOPers outraged by Iran war
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Ryan King DALLAS — Vice President JD Vance took a moment during his speech to the MAGA faithful to address disillusioned Republicans who have been vexed by the war in Iran — and invoked Charlie Kirk."I think Charlie is a great example of how to disagree, but still participate in the work of saving this country," Vance said. "He did not always agree with us. Let me just give you one example: Charlie hated war.Vice President JD Vance looks out to the audience from the stage at the Republican convention on Sept. 10, 2026, in Dallas. AP Photo/Julio Cortez"Of course, there are people who love what we've done, people who don't. I'm not here to litigate the disagreements," the veep said. "But what I'm asking you to do is do what Charlie did. Do not throw the baby out with your bathwater.""Don't give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here."Vance's olive branch to disaffected conservatives drew a sharp contrast with President Trump, who ripped his critics Wednesday with a simple "question: Can Iran have a nuclear weapon?' 'Absolutely not.' 'Well, then I'm right then -- I win."
