President Donald Trump’s speech on the opening night of the Republican midterm convention drew about 2.5 million viewers on Fox News, according to Nielsen data, potentially undercutting his claim that the event “beat the NFL” opening night.
Republicans hope the convention will energize the party’s supporters and bring back the strong turnout that helped Trump win in 2016 and 2024. Trump used the convention to urge voters to see November’s midterm elections as a vote on him.
During the two-day event, he asked them to “pretend I’m on the ballot”, according to Reuters.
You’ve got to do this for me. You’ve got to pretend I’m on the ticket. He also promised $5,000 to each American adult during his keynote address if his party retains control of the House and Senate in November, as per Newsweek.
In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said the gathering was “far bigger, better, and more important than anyone thought possible”. He also claimed “the overall numbers beat the NFL,” but did not give any figures or explain how the numbers were calculated. He closed out the convention by urging Republicans to “go out and vote” in November, telling the crowd, “You got to do me the biggest favor you’ve ever done.
