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Sep 10, 2026· Updated

Trump Convenes the First Midterm Convention in Modern History and at Least 45 House Republicans Say They Are Not Coming — the Ticket Is $25,000, the Nickname Is "Trumpapalooza," and the Vice President's Answer Is "We Don't Need a Congressman in a Tight Race to Be There"

The Republican National Committee has scheduled a two-day midterm convention in Dallas for September 9 and 10, 2026 — an event with no real precedent in modern American politics, informally called "Trumpapalooza" inside the party. In the first days of September, Politico surveyed more than 70 House Republicans and at least 45 said they would not attend; NOTUS separately found swing-state members skipping it. Dozens more were undecided. The stated reasons vary: House members are being asked to contribute $25,000 apiece, and many said they had district events, fundraisers, or 25th-anniversary September 11 commemorations already on the calendar. The unstated one is the calendar itself — the convention lands eight weeks before a midterm in which the president's approval rating hit record lows in August, and members in competitive seats have to decide whether standing next to him on a Dallas stage helps. Speaker Mike Johnson said some members simply need to be in their districts. Vice President JD Vance told reporters the ticket does not need marginal members in the room. Sen. Mike Rounds, up for reelection in South Dakota, said he would be home talking to constituents. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who is going, said the party's record "is just not getting out." Rep. Tim Burchett said he had just gotten the bill.

“The Democrats are the party of hatred. They're the party that despises America and the people who built it. … I'm not asking anybody to agree with me on every single issue.”
JD Vance (R-OH) · Sep 10, 2026

Ten Days After Renaming Lake Ontario, Trump Posts a Map With "Mexico" Crossed Out and Calls New Mexico "One of the Great Vote Cheating States of All Time" — the State's Entire Democratic Delegation, Its Governor and Both Nominees to Succeed Her Answer "Oh Hell No," and a Republican Senator Says the New Name Is "Kind of Catchy"

On Sunday, September 6, 2026 — in the middle of a Labor Day weekend posting spree that also included an image of the Moon captioned "THE MOON IS OURS" and a string of AI-generated pictures — President Trump posted a map of New Mexico on Truth Social with the word "Mexico" crossed out in red and "America" written beneath it. The official White House account reposted the image on X. In a follow-up post, Trump wrote that "many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to NEW AMERICA," calling the name "so much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!" The post followed a debunked online hoax claiming Trump had already signed an executive order renaming the state, and came ten days after he did sign an order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" during the tariff fight with Canada, and days after he floated and then withdrew renaming the Strait of Hormuz "Trump Strait." A president cannot rename a state by executive action; the White House announced no formal effort to do so. The reaction from New Mexico was immediate and unanimous across the ballot. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the name "isn't up for debate — it's been ours since before the United States existed" and that "while the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work." Sen. Martin Heinrich listed "three things I will always call by their actual names: The Gulf of Mexico. Lake Ontario. New Mexico." Sen. Ben Ray Luján said "it's New Mexico, always has been and always will be." Rep. Melanie Stansbury opened her post with "Oh hell no!" and Rep. Gabe Vasquez told the president "you don't get to erase New Mexico." Both nominees to succeed Lujan Grisham rejected it: Democrat Deb Haaland ("You can't be serious") and Republican Gregg Hull, the mayor of Rio Rancho, who said the state's identity "is not up for negotiation." Outside the state, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah was the lone elected Republican to weigh in, posting: "New America? Kind of catchy."

“This is truly unhinged behavior from the President of the United States. I don't want to hear 'oh, it's just Trump being Trump' or that he's 'trolling.' Enough. None of this is normal or okay. Republicans cannot keep shrugging this off.”
Gavin Newsom (D-CA) · Sep 7, 2026

Trump Says He Will Bill Europe for the Weapons the United States Already Gave Ukraine — "We Will Be Asking for That Money, Though Somewhat Belatedly" — and Halts Munitions Sales to Allies While He Denies the Iran War Has Drained the Stockpile

On September 3, 2026, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States would seek retroactive payment from European countries for the munitions and military aid sent to Ukraine under the Biden administration. "Hundreds of Billions of Dollars was given to Ukraine and NATO, free of charge, that Europe would have paid for — If they were only asked, but we will be asking for that money, though somewhat belatedly!" He did not name which countries he meant, or identify any legal mechanism for collecting. The post was also a rebuttal. Reporting through late August had described U.S. precision-munitions stockpiles heavily depleted by six months of war with Iran, and combatant commanders had formally objected to extending the campaign. Trump wrote that the United States has "virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition" and is producing at "levels never seen before" — while simultaneously confirming a pause in sales to allies: "We are taking them for ourselves, the U.S.A., rather than selling them to others, but the sales to allies will soon again, begin." The demand landed as European governments were already refusing to join the Iran campaign. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking at the G20 finance meeting in North Carolina, described a global energy shock driven by both the Ukraine and Iran wars. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, had just returned from a bipartisan congressional delegation to Ukraine. She called the president's demand "outrageous" and said she would increase Ukraine funding if Democrats win the House.

“This is extraordinary… it's outrageous. It's an outrageous commentary. I don't believe he even knows or understands what he's speaking about. I really don't think he understands or he gets it.”
Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) · Sep 4, 2026

Trump Floats Renaming the Strait of Hormuz "TRUMP STRAIT" on Truth Social — Then Says Hours Later "I Was Just Throwing That Out" — as Sanders Tells Him "You're the President, Not a Mad King"

On September 2, 2026, hours after a wave of US Central Command strikes on roughly 100 IRGC targets and Iranian retaliation against bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, President Trump posted on Truth Social: "Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be 'hotter' than ever before!" Asked about it in the Oval Office later the same afternoon, Trump backed off the idea, saying he had just been throwing it out. The White House's official X account nonetheless posted a map showing a Trump-branded Strait of Hormuz and said the name had "a nice ring to it." The post landed three weeks after Trump said he would declare the strait US territory when the Iran war ends, and days after he signed an order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" during the trade fight with Canada — a renaming a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans opposed. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer both told Trump to drop the renaming and focus on fuel prices and ending the war.

“Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be 'hotter' than ever before!”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 2, 2026