Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Week in politics: Trump attends Republican midterm convention and Pentagon's 9/11 memorial service President Trump attended a 9/11 memorial service at the Pentagon on Friday after speaking on both nights of a Republican gathering in Dallas. Politics Week in politics: Trump attends Republican midterm convention and Pentagon's 9/11 memorial service September 12, 20268:04 AM ET Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday By Ron Elving , Scott Simon Week in politics: Trump attends Republican midterm convention and Pentagon's 9/11 memorial service Listen · 3:51 3:51 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5965782/nx-s1-9923819" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript President Trump attended a 9/11 memorial service at the Pentagon on Friday after speaking on both nights of a Republican gathering in Dallas. Sponsor Message Transcript
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell. You know that...
(LAUGHTER)
DONALD TRUMP: OK? You go to hell. And I don't want that to happen to you, so please go and vote.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
That is the president delivering closing remarks in Dallas Thursday at what was billed as a Republican midterm convention. He also spoke on the first night of the two-night event. NPR's Ron Elving joins us. Ron, thanks so much for being with us.
RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott.
SIMON: Conventions normally feature delegates and party business, like nominations and policy platforms. This was something different, though, wasn't it?
ELVING: Yes. This was not a convention with that sort of conventional work to do. This was strictly a party pep rally - and a highly personal one. It was about electing Republicans to state and local offices in November, yes, but what we saw was less about those candidates than it was about President Trump, who is not even on the ballot in November. Now, the theory is that certain Republicans don't turn out when Trump isn't on the ballot. So the big to-do in Dallas was meant to persuade those folks that Trump is on the ballot and they have skin in the game.
It is - certainly made the point that Trump cares about these midterms. We even just heard him say that Republicans listening - if they didn't vote, they would go to hell. Now, of course, we assume this was just another case of Trump being a little over the top, caught up in the moment. Sending people to hell would seem to require an even greater expansion in presidential authority...
SIMON: (Laughter).
ELVING: ...Than anything we've seen yet.
SIMON: A prominent Fox News host asked the president about the idea floated to send $5,000 payments to Americans if Republicans held onto the House and Senate it in November. Here's that exchange.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE INGRAHAM ANGLE")
LAURA INGRAHAM: They're saying you're buying the election. You want to buy the election. Why not just give...
DONALD TRUMP: No...
INGRAHAM: ...The money now? If you have the money, why don't you just...
DONALD TRUMP: Because...
INGRAHAM: ...Give it now?
DONALD TRUMP: Because they can't - I'll tell you what, because the Democrats can't do it. Because with them, it's negative growth. With us, it's so positive.
SIMON: Now, of course, Fox is often considered friendly territory for the president.
ELVING: Yes. But Fox also conducts and publishes respected polls, and it has people who can ask questions voters are asking, such as this one. And they can elicit answers as nonsensical as the one we just heard.
SIMON: We ought to note, too, when our colleague Steve Inskeep asked NPR political correspondent Stephen Fowler how Trump's idea to pay taxpayers taxpayers' own money would work? The answer was simply, it wouldn't.
ELVING: That is a good way to bet.
SIMON: Trump marked 25 years since the 9/11 attacks at the Pentagon yesterday. Vice President Vance was at the New York ceremony with living ex-presidents and first ladies. What stood out to you about this anniversary?
ELVING: The connection to the present, Scott, the throughline from the fear and the panic that Americans felt on 9/11 and the disrupted and divisive politics we have seen since. 9/11 brought Americans closer together in that moment, brought the civilized world closer to Americans. But the policies that were pursued after 9/11 - of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and now against Iran - these overseas adventures have not assured our safety. Neither has the administration's embrace of tariffs or its attitude of it's us against the world.
So it's amazing to think our government doesn't even want to be allies with anyone it seems anymore, not even Canada. And that's not to mention the post-9/11 domestic policies - the scapegoating and the secret surveillance and the denial of rights. 9/11 was a monstrous tragedy, but it also could have been a historic wake-up call and a great unifying force for America and the world, like Pearl Harbor was before World War II. For a time, it seemed it might be, but that time was long ago.
SIMON: NPR senior contributor Ron Elving. Ron, thanks so much. Talk to you later.
ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. NPR does not offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. Anyone who makes such an offer or request is not an NPR employee and does not represent NPR. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{312:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(80)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(770),o(156),o(177),o(95),o(449),o(256),o(131),o(133),o(756),o(176),o(757),o(257),o(80),o(775)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},784:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(312)}},[[784,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();