The Unconventional Midterm Convention Is Quintessential Trump
Top O' the Briefing
Happy Thursday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. The Sine Qua Non Sequitur is refereeing a full-contact Stratego tournament somewhere in one of the Dakotas.
Seriously, I'm going to enjoy this ride for as long as I possibly can.
I won't pretend for a moment that I know how the midterm elections will turn out. What I have been writing and saying all along is that I don't think old midterm rules apply as much as they used to, and that the Republican Party has a fighting chance as long as President Donald Trump is its leader. Just two weeks ago, I led off the Briefing promising that I would keep reminding everyone of that until November.
The reason that we can't rely on historical election patterns as much as we used to is that Trump has been turning politics on its head since he first decided to run for office. He's not only worked tirelessly to transform the GOP, but he's also been rewriting the rules of politics in general whenever he can. Business as usual no longer applies when the man in the Oval Office coasted to his party's nomination without needing to show up to one primary debate.
When I first heard that President Trump and the Republicans were planning on having a midterm convention, I thought, "That tracks." I wrote in July that "Rally Trump Is My Favorite Trump," and that I hoped there would be a lot of them this year. This convention is a rally on steroids. Even in his most rambling moments during a speech, Trump is the most coherent message machine that the Republicans have. This convention gives him the chance to boost a lot of candidates in one setting, and give them all a master class in how it's done.
It's also a great way to trigger the Democrats. They're still flailing for a voice and face of the party that isn't associated with communism or suicide vests as we head into the midterms. Meanwhile, the Republicans have a leader who can fire up the base and get the donors' checkbooks to open. As Rick wrote yesterday, Republican candidates are embracing Trump and the party is sitting on a Matterhorn of cash. This convention will no doubt make that mountain get even bigger.
A video appearance by Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania (which Matt wrote about) was just another example of how different the political landscape is here in the Year of Our Lord 2026. The Democrats are going to do everything that they can to give Fetterman the Kyrsten Sinema treatment, but they can't get around to that for another two years. Fetterman seems eager to make them uncomfortable between now and then.
The optics of Fetterman's video were undeniable: he was the guy we were sure would be flying the commie freak flag for the Dems when he was elected; now he's the sanest one in the Senate and uncomfortable with his party's hammer and sickle vibe. No Republican has ever understood optics like Donald Trump.
One bit of conventional wisdom that still holds true is that election year campaign seasons don't get serious until after Labor Day. This offbeat convention idea is Trump's way of having the GOP come out swinging. Again, I don't know how any of this will play out. What I do know is that, for once, I won't have to worry about the Republicans not trying hard enough.
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