Republicans appear to have given up trying to defend President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections. Their first-ever midterm convention will shift the spotlight away from Trump in a desperate bid to sell the public on the GOP, according to a new Axios report. Vance speaks Sept. 9, Trump on Sept. 10, with Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials also taking the stage. Democrats opted against holding their own midterm convention. DNC spokesperson Kendall Witmer criticized the GOP event as "a multimillion-dollar celebration to satisfy Donald Trump's massive ego."