Live updates: Trump, Vance to close out RNC midterm convention; Democrats counter with protests

Vice President Vance will take his turn at the Republican National Committee midterm convention podium Thursday night, followed by President Trump, as GOP members close out their two-day push to energize voters ahead of November’s midterms.

Trump spoke for over 90 minutes on Wednesday night, urging voters to cast a ballot as though he were running.

“I mean, we’re running together,” the president said, as he capped off the convention’s first night. “We have to have Congress. We have to have the majorities. If we don’t have the majorities, so much can be lost.”

Trump went on to offer up a $5,000 dividend incentive to every American adult if his party keeps Democrats from taking back the House this fall. He called them “Trump dividends” and said they had to be spent in the U.S.

Vance did not appear on the event’s first night. The convention will lean heavily on the president’s inner circle for Day Two — with his son, Donald Trump Jr., former press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. all slated to speak.

Other notable speakers include House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who’s seeking reelection.

Also on the RNC’s agenda is a tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk in honor of the one-year anniversary of his death. Kirk’s youth organization, Turning Point USA, is holding a memorial Thursday night at Utah Valley University — where he was fatally shot during an on-campus speaker event in front of thousands of attendees.

Meanwhile, Democrats have planned a march protesting the convention, meeting at Dallas City Hall Plaza, as they also did the day prior. The rally is scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT.

In Missouri, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) is set to appear before the state Supreme Court on Thursday as judges weigh whether to hold him in contempt amid an escalating battle over the state’s congressional map .