Read our two-part editorial series on the 2026 Midterm Electoral Farce here and here.
On September 9–10, the Republican Party mafia held a first-of-its-kind midterm convention in Dallas, Texas.
As the midterm elections approach, the Republicans risk losing their trifecta (control of the presidency, House and Senate), which would impede their plans to restructure the state and centralize its bureaucracy under their control amid the collusion and contention between the two party mafias to be the sole representative of the ruling class.
The unorthodox convention took place in the context of historically low approval ratings for both mafias. With slim majorities in both houses of Congress, the Republicans are increasingly desperate to shore up what little support remains for its decaying electoral apparatus while competing with the Democrats to nullify the votes of the opposing party through various legal measures.
Trump closed the first day with a speech defending the US war of aggression against Iran, denouncing the Democrats as Communists, and making a farcical pledge to give every American adult $5,000 if the Republicans retain control of Congress. The pledge amounts to open bribery of the electorate to influence the elections.
“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said. “It will be called the Trump Dividend.”
Bourgeois economists have already dismissed the idea, citing its $1.2 trillion cost and potential to deepen the national debt at a time when the imperialists need more money for militarization rather than consumer spending.
Trump previously tried to bribe workers with $2,000 “tariff dividend” checks last November and “DOGE” checks (ostensibly from government spending cuts) in February 2025, but never disbursed either.
Both before and during his convention speech, Trump said American workers would have to wait for relief from rising gas prices caused by the Iran War, arguing that the economic pain of the working class was worth enduring to pursue the war’s parasitic objectives.
Following the convention, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance farcically claimed that the Iran War would end right after the midterm elections, and that gas prices would be restored to pre-war levels.
Trump’s approval ratings have sunk to historic lows, with just 33% of registered voters approving of his job performance in recent polls. Polling data has consistently shown that the ongoing economic crisis, particularly cost-of-living inflation, is a top priority for the American electorate this year.The polling does not account for the majority of the working class, who already passively boycotts the electoral farce.
The convention rallied major figures around the Republican Party mafia. Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA and widow of the ultra-reactionary media personality Charlie Kirk, received a standing ovation after Trump acknowledged her during his speech. The convention coincided with the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s annihilation. Vance, Senator Ted Cruz, and Donald Trump Jr., all potential 2028 presidential contenders, also received standing ovations.
Democratic mafia Senator John Fetterman appeared in a pre-recorded address, introducing himself as a “common-sense Democrat” who is “always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life.” The appearance indicates the fundamental collusion between the two party mafias despite bombastic “partisan” rhetoric during election season.
On the second night of the convention, Vance delivered the keynote speech. He staunchly defended the administration’s immigration policies, including unpopular mass deportations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) terror against foreign-born workers: “We were tired of being called racists for noticing that our country was becoming dirtier and poorer, and less safe and less prosperous,” Vance said.
The Trump administration continues to double down on targeting foreign-born workers as it seeks to overcome the current economic crisis by disciplining the workforce and destroying the forces of production.
By continuing to openly defend its most unpopular policies, including the Iran War and ICE terror, the Republican mafia creates an opening for the Democratic mafia to present itself as an opponent of these policies and traffic in the masses’ outrage toward them.
Image: Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress, 2025. Credit: Executive Office of the President.
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