'But they're worse': GOP midterm playbook revealed to yank spotlight off Trump

Republicans appear to have given up trying to defend President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm elections.

Their first-ever midterm convention will shift the spotlight away from Trump in a desperate bid to sell the public on the GOP, according to a new Axios report.

"With President Trump's approval ratingin the 30s and his war in Iran weighing on the economy, Republicans don't want the Nov. 3 midterms to be just a referendum on his presidency," Axios reported Friday.

"They're essentially planning a 'But they're worse' campaign."

Republicans have planned a campaign designed to paint Democrats as captive to activist-left politics and socialism, according to the report.

The Sept. 9-10 convention at Dallas's American Airlines Center will make progressive figures recurring characters throughout the event. GOP operatives have spent months compiling footage of Democrats including commentator Hasan Piker and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico.

"Our video trove is endless," a source told Axios.

Organizers plan to focus heavily on Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan Senate nominee who backs Medicare for All and has criticized Israel's actions in Gaza — and whom Trump has called a "communist" and "man of hate."

The convention will also feature "everyday Americans" touting GOP wins on taxes, prescription drug costs and border security, a strategy organizers credit with working in 2024. Other highlights include tipped-income tax breaks, child investment accounts, Vice President JD Vance's anti-fraud task force and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s MAHA movement.

Vance speaks Sept. 9, Trump on Sept. 10, with Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials also taking the stage. Unlike 2024's donor-heavy floor, this crowd will be mostly MAGA activists. The event will also mark the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination.

The strategy faces headwinds – a CNN poll found 73 percent of respondents think Trump isn't focused enough on domestic issues, and 65 percent said his policies are worsening the economy.

Democrats opted against holding their own midterm convention. DNC spokesperson Kendall Witmer criticized the GOP event as "a multimillion-dollar celebration to satisfy Donald Trump's massive ego."