Vance takes centre stage as Trump wraps up GOP midterm convention with voter warnings

US President Donald Trump and Vice-President J.D. Vance wrapped up the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm convention on Thursday night with promises of an America “greater than ever before”, aiming to secure crucial swing voters ahead of November’s battle for Congress.

“You got to get out and vote, and you got to pretend I’m on the ballot,” Trump said, while also getting the crowd at the Dallas gathering – dubbed “Trump-a-palooza” by his supporters – to pledge allegiance to him.

“You know what happens if you don’t vote? You go to hell,” he added.

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On Thursday, Vance gave the keynote speech, outlining his vision for the future of America, touting a “national birthright”, stressing the importance of the nuclear family and calling the Democrats a “party of hatred”, before Trump delivered an unusually short closing address.

As the president is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term – even as he has repeatedly teased running anyway – Vance’s speech in Dallas may have served as an audition for the 2028 presidential nomination, a prospect he briefly addressed in his remarks.

“We gotta take care of business this November and then we’ll worry about what comes next,” Vance said, referencing the midterm elections, accompanied by shouts of “28! 28!” from the crowd.

Vance also spoke about Charlie Kirk, who he said loved Trump but hated war, and urged voters not to “throw the baby out with the bathwater” over policy disagreements. Several speakers, including Vance and Donald Trump Jnr, paid tribute to Kirk during their speeches that took place on the anniversary of his death.