GOP prepares for night 2 of the Midterm Convention, Trump’s sendoff speech

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt painted Democrats as “extreme liberal socialists” and argued the American Dream could be destroyed if they win control of Congress during a Thursday night convention speech.

“We cannot be a wealthy people if we elect extreme liberal socialist Democrats who will raise our rent and taxes, take away our private property and kill the American dream,” she said. “Democratic socialist countries always end in poverty and famine in misery. And that’s why we will never allow that to happen here in the United States of America, the best country in the world.”

The former press secretary went on to list views held by some Democrats that she views as extreme, including cutting off resources to law enforcement, allowing men to play in women’s sports and supporting illegal immigration.

While Leavitt argued that liberals support defunding the police and sex change surgeries for minors, Democrats running in tight elections have largely disavowed these positions and other similarly controversial ones.

“Votes like the lives of our children and their futures depend on it, because they do,” Leavitt said.

Vice President JD Vance blasted Democrats on Thursday evening for being fixated on opposing President Donald Trump, his agenda and their own constituents.

“It’s not about you, it’s about foreign fraudsters, and it’s about who they hate. And we got to send their asses back in November,” Vance said.

Vance’s remarks come as Republicans at the convention have tried to paint Democrats as a party out of control on its messaging, policies and candidates; that far-left progressives have forced middle-of-the-road ideas out of focus.

He warned that those changes would have consequences for future Americans.

“Democrats are running candidates who will tell your children what they’re allowed to say, how they’re allowed to live and importantly, who they ought to hate, because that’s what the Democrat Party is about in 2026,” Vance said.

“We got to send a message this November. We got to send a message this November that the country does not belong to the radicals. It does not belong to the bureaucrats. It does not belong to the highest bidder. This country was handed down to us by our parents and their parents before them. We received this national birthright, and we are going to fight for it by electing Republicans this November.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, accused Democrats of embracing the party’s far-left wing during a speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.

“When people tell you who they are, believe them,” Cruz said.

Cruz cited comments and positions he attributed to Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.

“When Hasan Piker says America deserved 9/11, believe him,” Cruz said. “When Mamdani says he wants to seize the means of production, he means it. When Abdul El-Sayed says he has an obligation to comply with Sharia law, he means it. And when James Talarico says he wants to dismantle capitalism, he means it.”

Cruz said not every Democrat in Congress agrees with those views, but argued that Democratic leaders are unwilling to confront the party’s most progressive activists.

“They are all afraid of these radicals because that’s where the money and the energy and the young people are in the Democrat Party,” Cruz said.

“Why does El-Sayed refuse to disavow Hasan Piker?” Cruz asked. “Why does Chuck Schumer stand alongside El-Sayed? Their threats are not simply empty words.”

Donald Trump Jr. used his speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas to honor late conservative activist Charlie Kirk and urge Republicans to remain engaged ahead of the November elections.

Trump Jr. said Kirk, who was killed one year ago, inspired young Americans to advocate for “faith, family, freedom and patriotism.”

He described Kirk as a prominent voice for free speech and said Republicans would honor his legacy by continuing to fight for the country.

“We will not back down. We will not fold,” Trump Jr. told the crowd.He portrayed the election as a contest between two competing visions for America, describing the Republican message as “common sense” versus what he called Democratic “extremism.”

Trump Jr. also accused the left of rejecting open debate and seeking “obedience” and “total control” over Americans’ lives.

Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, attended the convention’s tribute to her late husband, which included a memorial display and remarks honoring his influence on young conservatives one year after his death.

Vice President JD Vance delivered an emotional keynote address at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, reflecting on fatherhood, the loss of his friend Charlie Kirk and the future of the conservative movement.

Vance spoke about welcoming his fourth child and the importance of building a country where American families can thrive. He also honored Kirk, the conservative activist who was killed one year ago, and credited Kirk’s widow, Erika, with influencing his decision to have another child.

Vance described Kirk as a close friend who supported him during his early political career and helped strengthen his Christian faith. He said Kirk’s death left a void but argued that his message and movement would continue.

The vice president also criticized Democrats, portraying the midterm election as a choice between Republican policies and what he called the left’s embrace of socialism, open borders and cultural extremism.

Vance spoke before President Donald Trump delivered the convention’s closing remarks.

This is an excerpt from a story by Ashley DiMella reporting from Dallas, Texas.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused the Biden administration of losing track of hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children during his remarks at the GOP Midterm Convention on Thursday.

“They somehow lost 360,000 children, and they turned our federal government into the biggest child trafficking operation in world history,” Kennedy said.

“The Democratic Party, in short, lost its way. I mourn the fact, and neither my father nor my uncle would recognize the Democratic Party of today,” he added.

Kennedy’s remarks appear to reference federal findings about the government’s inability to effectively monitor the location and status of unaccompanied migrant children after they were released from federal custody.

A March 2025 Department of Homeland Security inspector general report found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement transferred more than 448,000 unaccompanied migrant children to the Department of Health and Human Services from fiscal 2019 through fiscal 2023, most of whom were later released to sponsors.

The watchdog found that, as of January 2025, ICE had not served Notices to Appear on more than 233,000 children, meaning they had not been assigned immigration court dates. More than 43,000 other children who had received notices failed to appear for scheduled immigration court hearings as of October 2024.

The inspector general concluded that ICE could not effectively monitor the location and status of all unaccompanied migrant children after they left federal custody and warned that the shortcomings left the agency without assurance that the children were safe from trafficking, exploitation or forced labor.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson told Republicans gathered in his city Thursday that he switched parties after becoming disillusioned with the direction of Democratic-led cities and embracing the GOP’s approach to public safety and economic policy.

“Welcome to the biggest city in America with a Republican mayor,” Johnson said.

“I spent most of my life as a Democrat, but a few years ago, I chose to follow a different course. I chose to join a party that believes in some fundamental truths: that public safety must be our top priority, that economic freedom is vital, that taxpayers and families deserve respect, and that pro-business policies create jobs and opportunity,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who switched parties in 2023, also contrasted Dallas with other major cities that he argued have put ideology ahead of responsible governance.

“Just look at Chicago, where the mayor once called defunding the police an actual, real political goal. Look at Seattle, where the Socialist mayor there told residents not to drink Starbucks and actually waved bye to taxpayers and job creators who were anxious about higher taxes,” Johnson said.

On the heels of President Donald Trump’s pledge to campaign for Republicans in competitive races, North Carolina Senate nominee Michael Whatley announced that Trump would visit the state next week.

Whatley shared the news Thursday on X, along with a White House link for supporters to sign up for the event. The visit would give Whatley a high-profile boost as he challenges former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper for North Carolina’s open Senate seat.

Whatley, a former chairman of both the Republican National Committee and the North Carolina Republican Party, spoke at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday.

The race is expected to be closely watched as Republicans work to defend their Senate majority and Democrats seek to gain seats in November.

Trump said during the convention that he would campaign in competitive states on behalf of Republican congressional and Senate candidates, potentially visiting some states more than once.

Ross Ulbricht, who received a full pardon from President Donald Trump after serving more than a decade of a life sentence, praised the president at the GOP Midterm Convention for what he described as efforts to rein in a “weaponized government” and protect civil liberties.

“President Trump heard about my case. He felt compassion for me because he, too, was the target of a weaponized government,” Ulbricht said. “He said that if the American people sent him back to the White House, he would free me. The day after he took office, he pardoned me.”

Ulbricht became a prominent cause among libertarians and criminal justice reform advocates after receiving a life sentence for creating and operating Silk Road, an anonymous online marketplace used to buy and sell illegal drugs and other illicit goods and services.

“Now, let me tell you what I learned in prison. I learned that the machinery we built to protect ourselves from criminals can be turned around and pointed at people who have harmed no one,” he continued.

Ulbricht went on to praise Trump for rolling back policies he said targeted gun store owners and parents concerned about what their children are learning in public schools.

Trump, meanwhile, has faced criticism from opponents who accuse his administration of using the Justice Department to target political adversaries.

A Texas Republican congressional candidate seeking to topple a vulnerable incumbent Democrat is calling out Democrats for getting lost in “their crazy woke identity,” accusing them of not knowing who they are.

“I know exactly who I am,” Tano Tijerina said. ”I’m Tano Tijerina, I’m a beef eating, truck driving, gun slinging,” before breaking for applause from the crowd.

“I’m a beef eating, gun slinging. I’m a truck driving, I am. Oh, I’m a Bible thumping, Jesus loving… cowboy that’s gonna fight like Hell for South Texas,” Tijerina continued.

Tano Tijerina is challenging Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas’ 28th Congressional District, one of five Democratic-held seats targeted in the mid-decade redistricting effort pushed by President Donald Trump.

Tijerina served as Webb County judge beginning in 2015 and was elected as a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party in December 2024.

“I used to be a Democrat. Down in Webb County. That’s just who we were. My family was. My neighborhood was. It was like a religion,” Tijerina said.

“But here’s the truth. I didn’t leave the Democratic Party. The party left me.”

The GOP Midterm Convention honored Charlie Kirk on day two with a video montage featuring clips of the late Turning Point USA founder, including a speech in which he urged his followers to take an active role in politics.

“Duty is ours and the result is the Lord’s,” Kirk said in the video. “We do our part and we trust in God for the rest. God will not honor our laziness if we think being apathetic is going to save the country. It’s about using your agency, using your ability to act.”

Kirk urged his followers to reject political complacency and push for change.

“We are no longer going to accept comfortable losing,” he said. “We are no longer going to accept excuses from our elected officials.”

“We have more combined political power than they have ever allowed us to believe,” Kirk continued. “We are the party of people that shower before work and shower after work. The people that get their hands dirty, the people that protect our streets, the people that have built this country.”

The tribute came on the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, where he was speaking at a Turning Point USA event on Sept. 10, 2025.

Vice President JD Vance is expected to take a more personal approach during his keynote speech at the Republican National Convention in Dallas on Thursday night, according to a source familiar with the remarks.

Vance is expected to reflect on becoming a father again and the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while urging voters to continue fighting for their stake in the country.

The speech is expected to focus on fatherhood, the future and the direction of the nation, rather than the hardscrabble upbringing and “mamaw” story Vance emphasized during his 2024 Republican National Convention speech.

Vance’s remarks will come as he takes the primetime spotlight on the second night of the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention. President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak after Vance and deliver the closing address.

The speech also comes as Vance is increasingly viewed as a potential Republican presidential contender in 2028, though he has said he will wait until after the midterm elections before deciding whether to pursue a White House bid.

Speaking at the GOP Midterm Convention in Dallas on Thursday evening, Madeline Gorman, sister of Sheridan Gorman, spoke out against sanctuary city policies that she said allowed the man now charged with killing her sister to remain free before the fatal shooting near Loyola University Chicago.

“If laws had been enforced and law enforcement had been able to work together the way common sense says they should, Sheridan would still be here,” Gorman said.

“If someone is here illegally and commits a crime, why wouldn’t local law enforcement cooperate with federal law enforcement?” she added.

According to authorities, Jose Medina had encounters with law enforcement before Gorman’s killing. He was apprehended after illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in May 2023 and was later arrested in Chicago in connection with a retail theft case.

Gorman’s killing quickly became a flashpoint in the national debate over illegal immigration and sanctuary policies that have created roadblocks to local-federal immigration enforcement efforts.

Medina, a Venezuelan national who authorities say entered the country illegally, is charged with first-degree murder and other offenses in connection with Gorman’s death. He has pleaded not guilty.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott used his speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas to promote the state’s immigration, law enforcement and election policies while criticizing Democrats running for statewide office.

Abbott praised President Donald Trump, saying no president had done more to secure the southern border. He highlighted Texas laws targeting sanctuary cities, illegal border crossings and foreign ownership of land, as well as measures addressing police funding and voter identification.

The governor also promoted Texas’ school choice program and his administration’s policies restricting transgender medical procedures for minors.

Abbott framed the upcoming election as a choice between “common sense and crazy,” accusing Democrats of supporting higher taxes, Green New Deal policies and what he called weak public-safety measures.

“We are going to demolish the Democrats,” Abbott told the crowd, urging Republicans to keep Texas red and help Trump “keep America great.”

Mike Rogers, the GOP nominee for Senate in Michigan, recounted the story of the Flight 93 passenger revolt and compared that courage to the alleged extremism of his opponent, Abdul El-Sayed.

“But when the terrorist hijacked Flight 93, intending to bring death and destruction to our Capitol, a brave Michigander named Todd Beamer called his family,” Rogers said. “And then he went on to inspire a nation when he told his fellow passengers, ‘let’s roll.’”

After Flight 93 had been hijacked during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Beamer rallied his fellow passengers to resist the terrorists, forcing them to crash the plane into a Pennsylvania field rather than their intended target of Washington, D.C. Beamer’s father, a Michigander, has endorsed Rogers over El-Sayed.

“He wants to represent Palestine. I want to represent Michigan,” Rogers said of El-Sayed. “And when the radical Islamic terrorists threaten Americans, we don’t need a senator searching for excuses. We need a senator hunting them. September 11th isn’t something that we deserved. No matter what Abdul’s buddies say.”

El-Sayed’s links to controversial Islamic clerics as well as Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who once claimed America “deserved 9/11,” have become focal points of the Senate race in Michigan.

“America, let’s roll,” Rogers said, closing out his remarks.

Ohio Republican congressional candidate Derek Merrin, who is seeking to defeat a long reigning Democrat incumbent, applauded President Donald Trump’s efforts to revive manufacturing jobs.

“The Trump administration is working to restore manufacturing and bring those back jobs back to my district and districts all across the country,” Merrin said during his address at the GOP Midterm Convention.

“Last month, America’s manufacturing activity was at its highest level in four years.”Merrin then goes on to list the new plants that are being built in Ohio, which includes an auto plant in Rossford, Ohio that will bring 500 new jobs and that another automaker invested 400 million in Toledo, which will bring 900 new jobs.

He scoffed at his opponent Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, who has been in office since 1983. He accused her of standing idly by while Ohioans struggled.

 “For 43 years, my opponent, Marcy Kaptur, watched from her luxury Washington condo as domestic manufacturing floundered. Jobs disappeared one by one, hollowing out our city and sending our wealth to foreign nations,” Merrin said

Former Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., called attention to his opponent’s ties to Hasan Piker, a progressive streamer with an online footprint that has drawn scrutiny and alarm from Republicans.Rogers, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the Wolverine state, is running against Abdul El-Sayed, a Democrat who has campaigned extensively with Piker.

“On the 25th anniversary of 9/11, [I am] running against a guy who, just 25 years later, after that horrific event, thinks it’s okay to chum around with a guy who believes we deserved 9/11, who says he is a terrorist sympathizer,” Rogers said.

Rogers, like many Republicans, has aimed to tie Piker and his many controversial comments to other Democrats he has campaigned with, pressing them on why they had chosen to associate with him.

In addition to his comments about 9/11, Piker has attracted criticism for his characterizations of U.S. foreign policy. Once, when asked if he supported terrorism, Piker answered by saying, “No, I don’t. I don’t support the state of Israel, and I don’t support the state of the United States of America.”

“This is as crazy and as wild and anti-American as it gets. It’s really important to come down and say, ‘these are your choices — not just for Michigan, but really for the country,” Rogers said.

Rep. Jason Smith, R- Mo., who called himself a Hillbilly from the Ozarks in the beginning of his remarks of the GOP MIdterm Convention, said the Republican Party is the party of the working class — long believed to be true of the Democratic Party.

“I grew up in a single wide trailer, and then we upgraded when I was in junior high school to a double wide,” Smith said. “I’m a Republican because the Republican Party is the party of the working class.”

Like other speakers at the convention, Smith, who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee praised the Trump signing the Working Families Tax Cut Act into law.

“Thanks to the working families tax cuts, if you are a family of four and make less than $73,000 a year or less in the United States, you pay zero in federal taxes because of the big beautiful bill,” Smith said. “The personal stories I’ve heard from working families across the country speak to the real impact this tax relief has had on their lives.” 

President Donald Trump told a CBS News reporter Thursday that he does not believe he would need congressional approval to send $5,000 payments to American adults, a proposal he unveiled during the Republican midterm convention in Dallas.

Trump has described the payments as a dividend that could be funded through tariff revenue and other government proceeds. He said the checks would be issued if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate in the November midterm elections.

Some Republicans close to Trump have said they could introduce legislation to authorize the payments. Others have criticized the proposal as an expensive giveaway that could worsen inflation and increase the federal deficit.

The Constitution, however, gives Congress authority over federal spending. Article I, Section 9, says that “no Money shall be drawn from the Treasury” without an appropriation made by law. The Constitution Annotated, a congressional resource, explains that federal money generally cannot be paid out without an act of Congress.

The plan could cost more than $1 trillion, depending on eligibility rules. Vice President JD Vance has suggested that higher-income Americans might not qualify.

Trump has floated similar direct-payment proposals during his current term, but no nationwide $5,000 checks have been issued.

House Speaker Mike Johnson touted the Republican-led Congress as one of the most productive in American history during a speech at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas.

“The media won’t tell you this, but this has been one of the most productive Congresses in the history of the institution since 1789,” Johnson said. “It’s been the most productive Congress in 80 years.”

Johnson said the House has passed more than 900 pieces of legislation during the current Congress, including the SAVE America Act four times.

He also credited Republicans and President Donald Trump with delivering what he called the largest middle-class tax cut and largest spending cut in U.S. history, while touting lower crime, reduced illegal border crossings, new children’s investment accounts and lower prescription drug prices.

“Republicans delivering and Democrats radicalizing,” Johnson said. “That is the contrast for America.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took to the stage at the GOP convention in Dallas on Thursday evening, warning that while all Democrats aren’t socialists, the failure to push back on far-left policies has transformed the party.

“Just last week, nearly every Democrat in the House of Representatives voted against condemning socialism in Marxism,” Johnson said.

“The Democrat Party has been taken over by crazy far-left radicals.”

Johnson argued that, while figures like Zohran Mamdani, the self-proclaimed socials mayor of New York City, have taken the spotlight, many lesser known figures like him are also making their ascent.

He believes silence from moderates is making it possible.

“We know who the Mamdani is, but it’s the Democrats in the swing seats who say one thing and then join forces and vote with the socialists that they’re afraid of. That is the dangerous part. They’re the ones who have let the barbarians inside the gate,” Johnson said.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, invoked his family’s history in communist Cuba during a speech at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, warning that Americans must remain vigilant in defending freedom.

Cruz said his father fled Cuba more than six decades ago and repeatedly expressed gratitude for the opportunity to build a life in Texas.

But he also recalled his father asking what their family would do if Americans lost their freedom.

“Where do we go?” Cruz recalled him asking. “We go nowhere.”

Cruz urged Republicans to unite around the Constitution and oppose what he described as the growing influence of communism and Islamism within the Democratic Party.

“Sharia law has no place in America,” Cruz said, arguing that it is inconsistent with the Constitution.

The Texas senator also praised President Donald Trump, saying the president had secured the border, attracted investment and helped transform the Republican Party into a “blue-collar party.”

Cruz’s remarks came as Republicans seek to rally voters ahead of the midterm elections.

He also referenced the anniversaries of Charlie Kirk’s killing and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying the party must stand against political violence and threats to American freedom.

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said Thursday she was “gravely disappointed” by fellow Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman’s surprise video appearance at the Republican midterm convention, calling it a “stunt” while criticizing his record in the Senate.

“I tell you, I was disappointed in that stunt,” Dean told reporters, recalling that she ran against Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s crowded 2018 Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.

“I got to know and really like him and his family and his values, but what we have seen in his service as a senator is something very different than what I got to know around John,” Dean said.

Dean criticized Fetterman’s “work ethic” and alleged lack of attendance and participation on Senate committees and argued that his voting record has increasingly aligned with President Donald Trump on issues including administration nominees and war powers.

“I am gravely disappointed with John and that stunt,” Dean said. “What I wish he was doing was back home in Pennsylvania making sure, like I am, that Pennsylvania will see more Democratic members of the House to uphold the values that he originally ran on.”

Fetterman was not physically at the GOP gathering in Dallas. The Pennsylvania senator appeared in a prerecorded video Wednesday introducing Republican Sen. Dave McCormick, whom he praised as a “great friend” and “the kind of senator that gets the job done.”

Fetterman described himself as a “common-sense Democrat” and said he would “reject the extremes and socialism” while pledging to work with McCormick and Trump to support Pennsylvania’s steel industry.

The appearance fueled renewed speculation about Fetterman’s relationship with his party, but the senator quickly rejected suggestions he could switch sides.

“I’m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party,” Fetterman said in a statement after the video aired, adding that if Democrats capture the Senate in November, “I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on.”

A Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) advocate pushed back Thursday against labeling parents who question chemicals and additives in their children’s food as “extremists,” while rallying behind President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas.

“Parents who ask about chemicals, additives and where their food comes from are not extremists. They’re doing their job,” Amanda Hughes, a Minnesota mother and activist, told the crowd. “They deserve honest labels, serious research, and sunlight.”

Hughes pointed to the Trump administration’s MAHA agenda, highlighting efforts to phase out petroleum-based synthetic food dyes, restrict certain junk-food purchases through state SNAP waivers and increase federal oversight of substances added to the food supply.

Hughes said her goal was not to promise parents “a world without illness,” but to give children the healthiest possible start while ensuring parents have information to make decisions for their families.

“Children deserve protection. Parents deserve power. And families deserve the truth,” Hughes said.

She closed by throwing her support behind the administration’s MAHA push. “President Trump and Secretary Kennedy are leading it,” Hughes said. “They welcome our questions. They have our backs. Let’s have theirs.”

Marty O’Donnell, a congressional candidate who worked on the soundtracks for Halo and Destiny, spoke to the Republican midterm convention on Thursday, arguing for the importance of faith, family and the American dream.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, self-evident, not negotiated, not hidden, not plead the fifth,” O’Donnell said. “Truth is knowable. Freedom is a gift from our creator. Lies and slavery come from the mind of man. That’s Marxism. Here’s the final thing. People need God. Without God, liberty collapses.”

“I’m running because of my grandkids,” O’Donnell continued. “I look at those kids, and I think about the country they’re about to grow up in. And I decided that I couldn’t sit on the sidelines any longer … One good job used to be enough. One good job was enough to raise a family, buy a house, take your kids on vacation, and live a comfortable, fulfilling life … somewhere along the way, that deal got broken.”

O’Donnell is running to unseat Rep. Susie Lee, a Democrat representing Nevada’s Third Congressional District.

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., the Chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, put a spotlight on Hasan Piker and his connections to the Democratic Party at the GOP convention on Thursday afternoon.

McClain’s aimed to tie Piker and his many controversial comments to Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Michigan.

“El-Sayed’s biggest booster, a man named Hassan Piker; he said, and I quote, ‘America deserved 9/11.’ Well, ladies and gentlemen, my mom has a saying. You are who you hang with. And let me tell you, Hassan Piker is who Abdul El-Sayed hangs with.”

Hasan Piker, a streamer who has gained notoriety for his political commentary, has campaigned extensively with El-Sayed.

In addition to his comments about 9/11, he has attracted criticism for his characterizations of U.S. foreign policy. Once, when asked if he supported terrorism, Piker answered by saying, “No, I don’t. I don’t support the state of Israel, and I don’t support the state of the United States of America.”

Back at the convention, McClain expressed disbelief that Democrats would want to associate with his record.

“Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the darkest day in our nation’s history. A day when we watched Americans jump from towers to avoid being burned to death. A day when terror and chaos came to our streets,” McClain said.

Sen. Bernie Moreno told Fox News Digital that he plans to introduce legislation that would fund the president’s proposed $5,000 payment to adult Americans through tariffs, but would require that those funds would be spent within the United States.

“This dividend would be something that is allowing working Americans to share in the prosperity of this country,” Moreno said. “The money would be used only here in the United States, so it’s not to be used outside the United States. I think it would provide a big economic boost to our economy.”

The dividend, which President Donald Trump promised to Americans if the GOP holds Congress, has been characterized as an attempt at electoral bribery, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying his presidency is “so failed and broken, he is resorting to trying to bribe the American people for their votes.”

“So look, at the end of the day, these politicians are all hypocritical. They love helping anybody on earth except for working Americans,” Moreno countered. “They love giving money to foreign countries. They love funding endless wars. They love having us solve the entirety of the world’s problems. When it comes to helping working Americans, all of a sudden, there’s no money.”

Georgia Republican Senate candidate Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., took aim at Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff from the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas, calling the incumbent a “trust fund kid” while arguing the closely watched Senate contest between the pair could have implications beyond November.

“This guy is nothing but a trust fund kid who’s never had a real job in his life,” Collins told Fox News Digital.

He argued that Ossoff has catered to the Democratic Party’s left flank and portrayed the senator’s re-election campaign as a potential springboard to a future run for national office.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to stop him in Georgia,” Collins said. “If we don’t stop him in Georgia, this guy’s going to be a problem for the entire country in 2028.”

Collins pointed to Ossoff’s voting record and support for progressive Democratic candidates as evidence for his argument, while also noting the Democratic Socialists of America’s recent opening of a permanent field office in Atlanta. The DSA has not endorsed Ossoff.

Ossoff has previously rejected speculation that he is positioning himself for a presidential campaign, telling MS NOW last month that he had “zero interest in running for president in 2028.”

The first-term Democrat is seeking re-election in Georgia, which President Donald Trump carried by nearly three percentage points in 2024. Collins is running to unseat him in one of this year’s closely watched Senate contests.

This blog post is an excerpt of a Fox News Digital article by Alex Miller

British travel creator Oliver Henry praised “American exceptionalism” at the GOP convention on Thursday afternoon after traveling the U.S.

He described being surprised at the discrepancy between European coverage of the U.S. and his lived experience.

“Well, we owe America a huge apology. America is nothing like what the media tells us. Everywhere I went, everyone was so friendly and accommodating. America’s critics in Europe don’t know what they’re missing. And America’s critics at home don’t realize all they have to be grateful for,” Henry said.

“Why would anyone hate that?” Henry added.

His comments come as Conservatives and Republicans have bashed Democratic progressives for, in their view, only considering the past transgressions of the country while losing sight of American greatness.

In addition to praising American diversity and political culture, Henry highlighted many experiences he added had renewed his enjoyment of American culture.

“I shot machine guns in Texas. I held alligators in the Florida Everglades,” Henry said.

“I realized that America is a place where if you work hard, put yourself out there, are willing to take risks — and get just a little bit lucky — amazing things can happen to you.”

Former American hostages freed by the Trump administration shared emotional accounts of their captivity during the second night of the Republican National Convention in Dallas.

The group included Americans detained in Venezuela, Afghanistan and Russia, as well as Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, an American-Israeli hostage who was killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

One freed hostage described being seized by Venezuela’s authoritarian regime in October 2024 and imprisoned for nine months. He said his family felt abandoned by the Biden administration but credited President Donald Trump with giving them hope and securing his release.

“I am an American by conviction,” he said, adding that he is still waiting for the day he can take the oath of allegiance and become a U.S. citizen.

George Glezmann, a Delta Air Lines employee, said he traveled to Afghanistan on a valid tourist visa before being abducted by the Taliban. He said he was held without charge for 835 days and that the Biden administration “left me behind.”

Glezmann said Trump freed him in two months without a prisoner exchange.

“Choosing who leads our country is not just about politics,” he said. “Elections have real and immediate consequences. In our cases, it was a matter of life and death.”

Trump has made bringing Americans held hostage overseas a central focus of his administration, and the former captives credited him with pursuing their release and bringing them home.

Omer Neutra’s parents said their son was captured after fighting Hamas terrorists while serving as an Israel Defense Forces tank commander. After 757 days, his remains were returned to his family for burial.

They called him “a hero of two nations” and urged continued action against the forces responsible for the Oct. 7 attack.

Dallas police arrested two protesters after they allegedly assaulted a counter-protester and obstructed a road near McKinnon and Payne streets, authorities said.

The incident occurred as demonstrators gathered in Dallas to protest the Republican Party’s midterm convention at the American Airlines Center. Officers assigned to the protest responded to the incident, police said.

Another rally is planned for 6 p.m. Thursday at Dallas City Hall.

The department said information remains limited because the incident is still active. Police did not immediately identify the suspects or specify the charges they may face.

The victim did not require medical treatment. Police said the suspects’ names and specific charges will be released after they are booked into jail.

Fox News Digital spoke with a protester named Rick Majumdar, who was wearing a shirt with the initials for the “Freedom Road Socialist Organization” (FRSO), which, according to its website, is a “national organization of revolutionaries fighting for socialism in the United States.”Majumdar said that the protest was organized by the “Dallas Against the Trump Agenda Coalition,” which he said consists of 16 “faith-based organizations, pro-immigrants’ rights groups and labor organizations.”

Fox News Digital’s Ashley DiMella and Peter Pinedo contributed to this post.

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Joe Gruters vowed Thursday that Republicans will “defy history” in November as he kicked off the final night of the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention in Dallas.

“Republicans believe in faith, family, freedom, hard work and the American Dream,” Gruters told the crowd at the American Airlines Center. “Democrats have been overtaken by radical socialists who want to tear down the values that make this country great.”

“Patriotism isn’t something to apologize for. It’s something to celebrate,” he continued. “We can’t let them take it away. Not here. Not in America, not on our watch.”

Gruters then turned directly to the midterm stakes, previewing remarks from Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump later Thursday night.

“Tonight we celebrate. Tomorrow we get back to work. And in November, we defy history,” Gruters said. “We finish the job and we win.”

The president’s party has historically lost ground in midterm elections, a trend Republicans are seeking to buck as they fight to maintain control of Congress in November. The two-day Dallas gathering is the Republican Party’s first midterm convention.

Gruters also used his opening remarks to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and mark one year since conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death.

President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $5,000 checks to American adults if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress is forcing Republicans to debate an idea more commonly associated with the Democratic Party: direct government payments to voters.

Former GOP Rep. Bob Good of Virginia called the proposal a “socialist vote-buying scheme” and warned that the checks would add to the national debt, which has topped $40 trillion.

Trump announced the the so-called “Trump Dividend” during the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas. The plan would require congressional approval and could cost more than $1 trillion.

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh called the proposal “flagrant bribery” and argued that Republicans could help working Americans by allowing them to keep more of their own money through tax cuts.

“Holding it as a carrot on the stick for after the election is just shameless,” Walsh wrote.

Democratic activists gathered at Pike Park in Dallas on Thursday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s inaugural midterm convention, according to Fox 4 Dallas.

The Dallas Against Trump Coalition organized the rally and planned to march toward the American Airlines Center, where Republicans were gathering for the second day of the convention. It was unclear how close protesters would get to the venue because of heightened security.

Protesters held signs reading, “The Constitution is not optional!” and “Be Dolly not Donald,” Fox 4 reported.

A separate “We the People” rally is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Dallas City Hall. Speakers are expected to include Rep. Christian Menefee, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, former Rep. Colin Allred and Jane Kleeb.

The demonstrations come as President Donald Trump and other Republican leaders address delegates and supporters at the American Airlines Center ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Joe Gruters, the chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), took to the stage at the GOP convention in Dallas, Texas, on Thursday, urging audiences to remember the example of Charlie Kirk on the one-year anniversary of his death.

“Tonight we honor Charlie Kirk. Charlie was killed one year ago today. He believed in America and freedom and young people’s courage to stand up and fight for the country they love,” Gruters said.

Gruters’ remark brings to mind how Republicans counted on Kirk to build the party’s support among younger voters, and how he drew attention to election-shaping issues through his many campus events and debates.

“He didn’t just join a movement. He built one. His voice inspired a generation. Tonight we carry his legacy forward. I read recently that Erica Kirk shared after Charlie died that she found three questions on his desk,” Gruters said.

Gruters urged audiences to take inspiration from his legacy.

“What is something I could do for someone today? What is something I could do to add value to the world today? And how can I honor God today? Let’s honor Charlie. And let’s be more like Charlie Kirk.”

As Republicans gathered in Dallas for the second night of the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention, attendees paused to leave handwritten messages honoring late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

The notes were placed around a small memorial display featuring an American flag, flowers, a microphone and a framed sign reading, “Saved for Charlie.”

The tribute comes one year after Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University in Utah. His death has continued to reverberate through the conservative movement, where Kirk was a prominent voice and a major force in mobilizing young voters.

Republicans are scheduled to honor Kirk during Thursday’s convention program, which also features speeches from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Ted Cruz, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump Jr., and former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Vice President JD Vance is expected to address the convention before President Donald Trump delivers the keynote speech and closing remarks.The two-day gathering is aimed at energizing Republican voters and candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump’s proposal to send $5,000 checks to American adults if Republicans win both chambers of Congress is forcing Republicans to debate an idea more commonly associated with the Democratic side of the aisle: sending direct government payments to voters.

Called a “socialist vote-buying scheme” by former GOP Rep. Bob Good of Virginia, the so-called “Trump Dividend” would only be handed down if Republicans keep the House and Senate in November, the president announced at the party’s midterm convention in Dallas.

Good warned that the checks would add to the national debt, which has topped $40 trillion.

The plan could cost more than $1.2 trillion, based on estimates of roughly 240 million eligible adults. The president cannot direct the Treasury to issue the checks without a law providing that authority, so Congress would need to authorize the spending plan.

The second and final night of the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas, will feature speeches from President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and several of the party’s leading figures.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Sen. Ted Cruz are also among the major speakers scheduled before the evening’s closing addresses.

Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, and House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain are also expected to address the gathering.

The program will include tributes to Charlie Kirk and the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is scheduled to appear with angel parents, while Frank Siller, CEO of Tunnel to Towers, is expected to participate in the 9/11 tribute.

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Donald Trump Jr. are scheduled to speak during the evening program.

Vance is set to deliver remarks before Trump’s keynote address and closing comments. The convention is aimed at rallying Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and highlighting the party’s candidates, policies and supporters.

Programming is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, with Vance and Trump expected during the 9 p.m. hour.

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., said those banking on President Donald Trump’s pledge to give each American adult $5,000 if Republicans win control of Congress in the midterm elections should think again.

“Donald Trump is a known liar,” Garcia said Thursday, speaking alongside other Democrats in Dallas, where Republicans are holding their GOP Midterm Convention this week. “This is the biggest liar to ever serve in government, period. And look, the dividend is not happening.”

On Wednesday, Trump announced the surprising pledge while speaking at the convention.

Garcia, a frequent Trump critic, said that Trump has made a string of broken promises throughout his time in office.

“He promised a dividend on tariffs — that didn’t happen. He promised a dividend on DOGE — that didn’t happen. He promised some strange new dividend from Air Force One,” he said. “That never happened. And so, there’s no one in the country that thinks, somehow, this new dividend is actually going to happen.”

“What the American people want is for the president to actually focus on lowering the costs of gas, groceries, and expand healthcare,” Garcia added. “The president has done the opposite. He’s made everything more expensive, and so he needs to stop lying and actually get to work.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this post.

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he plans to sign legislation authorizing a new Medal of Honor monument on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Speaking to attendees at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas, Trump confirmed he will sign the Hershel “Woody” Williams National Medal of Honor Monument Location Act into law.

“It’s a long name,” Trump noted, “but it’s an important name authorizing the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a brand-new monument in Washington.”

The bill permits the foundation to place the tribute — honoring all Medal of Honor recipients — within the historic Reserve area of the National Mall.

President Donald Trump vowed to issue Americans a $5,000 “dividend” that could cost the federal government more than $1 trillion — but it’s contingent on Republicans retaining control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump made the pledge Wednesday night during his nearly two-hour speech at the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, promising to issue the payment to every adult citizen if the GOP wins both the House and Senate in November.

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

The president’s proposal comes as the national debt hovers just north of $40 trillion and the federal government recorded a budget deficit of roughly $1.8 trillion in fiscal year 2025, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The payments could cost approximately $1.2 trillion, based on the roughly 240 million adult citizens in the United States, potentially adding significantly to the government’s eye-watering borrowing.

This is an excerpt from an article by Amanda Macias.

Democrats hold a double-digit advantage over Republicans in the midterm election battle for control of Congress, according to a new national poll.

But despite their midterm advantage over the GOP, the survey from Quinnipiac University also indicates that just 21% of voters approve of the way Democrats in Congress are handling their jobs. Seventy percent of those questioned in the poll, which was released on Thursday, gave congressional Democrats a thumbs down.

The survey’s release came ahead of the second and final day of the GOP’s first-ever midterm convention, which is being held in Dallas, Texas.

Republicans face traditional headwinds as the party in power and a difficult political environment as they fight to hold their slim congressional majorities.

According to the poll, 49% of voters want to see the Democrats win control of the House of Representatives, with 38% saying if the election were held today, they would want to GOP to maintain their majority. 13% percent did not offer an opinion.

While congressional Democrats received extremely low marks in the poll, Republicans in Congress didn’t fare much better. Twenty-six percent of voters said they approved of how congressional Republicans were handling their jobs, with two-thirds (67%) disapproving.

Forty-six percent said the Democratic Party is more in touch with the concerns of most Americans, compared to 35% who said the same thing about Republicans.

Republicans are showcasing President Donald Trump at the convention, which has been described by party leaders as a “Trumpapalooza.”

While 79% of Republicans questioned approved of the job Trump is doing as president, his overall approval rating in the new survey stood at 33%, with 59% disapproving.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Paul Steinhauser contributed to this post.

DALLAS — A rogue Senate Democrat toying with the idea of leaving his party drew a hard line in the sand after making a surprise appearance at the GOP’s Trump-centric convention.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has been welcomed with open arms by Republicans to join the party after he floated leaving his own caucus and spurred further speculation that he would jump ship after dropping a video introducing his colleague, Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention on Wednesday.

But in a statement to Fox News Digital, the progressive-turned-centrist said that he wasn’t turning his back on the Democratic Party, even as the knives have come out to cut him loose from the Senate.

“My remarks introduced Dave McCormick as a great American and friend. We are in different parties, but we are both Team PA,” Fetterman said. “We have delivered hundreds of millions of dollars back to Pennsylvania, fought for improved transportation and affordable housing, and the Steel Way of Life.”

“I’m a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party — and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on,” he continued.Fetterman started his career in the Senate after besting Dr. Mehmet Oz in a tight race for power in 2022, where he clinched a historically thin Democratic majority in 2022 running on a progressive platform.

But since then, he has become a thorn in Democrats’ side and challenged the direction of the party.

Earlier this year, Fetterman warned that if Democrats became more entrenched in anti-Israel policy positions, he would exit the party and has taken jabs at the party’s direction during this midterm election cycle as far-left progressives, like Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, have emerged as standard-bearers.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News’ Alex Miller.