President Donald Trump offered support to Senate Majority Leader John Thune after the South Dakota Republican was booed during the Republican midterm convention in Dallas. The crowd’s negative reaction came when Trump mentioned Thune’s name in his speech on Wednesday night.
Video footage from the event shows the convention hall responding with boos when Trump cited Thune. Newsweek’s National Political Correspondent, Alex Rouhandeh, noted that the booing was widespread across state delegations. The noise made it difficult to determine if Thune’s home state delegation showed support. Following Trump’s defense of Thune, the booing subsided.
Midterm elections serve as a gauge of the political atmosphere for the ruling party. Historically, the president’s party often loses seats in these elections. Currently, Republicans hold a narrow majority in both the House and Senate.
In response to the booing, Trump said, “No, no, John is working hard. He’s got great opposition… from the Democrat Schumer and these guys, they’re terrible. He’s got great opposition; he’s working very hard. He’s going to have great success; you watch.”
He added, “By the way, we’ve got great Republican Senators.” Newsweek reached out to Thune’s office for more information.
Trump has previously pressed Thune regarding Senate operations, specifically over the SAVE America Act. This act would mandate proof of citizenship to register and require voter ID at the polls. Trump urged Thune to keep the Senate active until the legislation passed. Thune stated that Republicans lacked the necessary votes to advance it.
The crowd’s reaction illustrates the pressure Thune faces from Trump’s ardent supporters, while he leads the Senate Republican Conference. Thune often collaborates with the White House on Trump’s agenda, but some of his Senate approaches clash with the party’s conservative members.
This event highlights Trump’s influence at the inaugural Republican midterm convention. Despite not being on the ballot, Trump sought to frame the 2026 elections as a judgment on his leadership. The Dallas convention, a two-day event, heavily focused on energizing the GOP base for November’s midterms.
Midterm Race for the Senate
Control of the Senate is at stake in the upcoming elections. The GOP faces crucial races which could change the chamber’s power balance. While Republicans currently have a 53-47 majority, Democrats need to secure four additional seats for control. Races in Georgia, Michigan, Maine, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas are closely watched, attracting substantial funding from both parties.
Nate Silver’s latest forecast shows Republicans facing a toss-up in maintaining their Senate majority. The Cook Political Report identifies several Senate races as highly competitive, including Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas.
In a recent Federal Election Commission filing, MAGA Inc. reported spending $10 million in the Texas Senate race. Additionally, billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC has invested significantly in pivotal House and Senate contests.
Contact Newsweek editors for more details on this story: Gray R. Thomas
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