DALLAS —
Even before the first-ever Republican National Convention (RNC) ended, Joe Gruters — the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) Chairman — told the Washington Reporter in an interview that it was both a success and that his party should look to repeat it in future cycles.
“We’ve had millions of people viewing from around the country, a million viewers that watched different clips on social media today,” Gruters said. “At the end of the day, I do think it’s worth it. These guys did an amazing job. I think we’re going to do something that has not been done often: win these midterms as the incumbent party, but it’s going to be because of everything we’ve done, because we have the right candidates, because we have the resources, because we have the messaging.”
But planning the convention, he noted, took a village. “We’re so lucky to have the best operators in the country working for the Republican Party”; the idea itself came directly from President Donald Trump, he added. “When the president had this idea, I thought it was an amazing one, because if we’re going to win this midterm cycle, we are going to have to do things that have never been done before,” Gruters said, adding that the GOP will unleash tens of millions of dollars in advertising once the convention ends, after months of “holding the line” on campaign spending.
“The energy, the excitement that we had last night and tonight, the president was on absolute fire. But this is also a call to action to unite the base, to bring us together,” he said. “And we’ve been holding the line the entire time, holding the line, holding the line, and now we’re going to start spending that money. We’re going to go out there, do 35 rallies, 100 tele-town halls. We’re going to go hit all these competitive districts, and we’re going to defy history this November. But planning this took a lot of staff, and a lot of hours.”
But the convention itself is not the end. “We’re not going to stop,” Gruters said, elevating the stakes of November’s elections. “We have no option other than to win. We have to win because the left wants to fundamentally change the way we live here in America. We can’t let it happen. It’s common sense versus crazy. It’s good guys versus bad. We have to win…We’re going to go to bat for the average American. We want to make sure that everybody has that chance of the American Dream. Don’t give up hope. Don’t believe that the communist utopia that the left is trying to sell America is the way to go. That leftist extremism is going to be rejected by the American people, and we’re going to win this to save the country and the world.”
Gruters views the convention itself as a way to address criticisms he gets as the head of the Republican Party. “People always ask me, ‘Joe, could the Republican Party do a better job messaging? Message more. Say this. Say that.’ How do you do that? The best possible way is to do something like the midterm convention, like what we’re doing.”
While the convention spotlighted both Trump and Vice President JD Vance, Gruters singled out Republicans like Ken Paxton, Mike Rogers, and Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) for praise.
“We had Ken Paxton last night, and the ballot for him moved a couple of points in a single night,” Gruters said, following Paxton’s well-received speech. “He probably had the best speech he ever right here in this arena, right here in this convention, in front of millions of people watching, and I think it makes a big difference. If you look at all of our candidates, all these House candidates who are embracing the idea that we can do more for the American people, that we can give hope to the American people to achieve that American Dream, that’s why these candidates are great.”
“Mike Rogers came out today,” Gruters added, “and he really knocked it out of the park, and we saw so many of these other great congressional candidates. Mike Lawler is always one of my favorite speakers. He’s in a district that defies logic. He’s a guy who’s in a district that’s minus seven, and yet he wins in New York. He doesn’t run away from the issues. He runs towards them, and he came out here and knocked everybody’s socks off. That’s the energy that we need in the party. That’s why these candidates are being so successful. We have great candidates with great ideas and a message that’s going to resonate with the American people.”
On the other hand, Gruters criticized the Democrats for their increasing reliance on Hasan Piker as a surrogate. “It makes me sick that on the 25th anniversary of September 11, that a lot of Americans must have forgotten,” he lamented. “Now they elected Zohran Mandami to run that city. I have no idea what happened, but we can’t forget what what those guys did us that day. We have to remember it. Although it’s 25 years ago, it’s a constant reminder of what we have to do to make sure that we keep our country safe, to make sure that we preserve freedom, to make sure we keep America the way it is, so that the America that we all grew up in stays the same. We can’t let these open borders people who hate our country that the Democrats want to let it in like they did under Joe Biden take over. That was tens of millions of people. Cut it out. Let’s make sure we put America first all the time.”
In contrast, Gruters noted that Republicans — led by many in Florida like Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) and Reps. Randy Fine (R., Fla.) and Carlos Gimenez (R., Fla.) are standing with America’s allies like Israel.
Gruters, a former Florida state Senator, said that in Florida, “we’re committed to doing the right thing, and you can’t accept anti-Semitism at all. What we did in Florida over the last ten years, including myself as the sponsor of some of those bills that changed the definition of what anti-Semitism is, that put some of these bans in place, has been really important,” he added. “We have to stand strong. You can’t have weakness when it comes to supporting our allies, and the fact is, we’re stronger as a party as a result. And the fact that the left has open anti-Semites, basically Jew-hating candidates around the country, it makes you wonder. I don’t understand why any Jewish Democrat is still with them. They should all be on our side. We’re going to continue to move the ball forward. We have the right leaders in place. President Trump is the start of that. There’s never been a better president for the Jewish people than Donald J. Trump.”
Closer to home, Gruters is excited about the top of the ticket in his home state of Florida, where Rep. Byron Donalds (R., Fla.) and Sen. Ashley Moody (R., Fla.) are at the top of the ticket. But there will also be generational turnover in the House, with Republicans like Austin Rogers in Florida’s Panhandle and Gruters’s own wife, Sydney Gruters among several who are favored to easily win their races in November.
“We’re so lucky to have Byron Donalds at the top of the ticket, along with Ashley Moody running for U.S. Senate,” Gruters said. “They’re two of the best candidates we could possibly put up, and as a result, as we get past this primary, as we consolidate the base around both Donalds and around Moody, we’ll also have potentially nine members of Congress who may be new Republicans as a result of redistricting and because of retirement. These new elected officials are going to be great conservative MAGA warriors and they are going to be successful. But it all starts with Byron Donalds. He’s one of the best communicators in the country. He has a silver tongue, and he’s a great conservative.”
Below is a transcript of our interview with RNC Chairman Joe Gruters, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
Chairman Gruters, this is the first ever RNC midterm convention. Tell me what it took to put this together.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
It took a lot of work and a lot of effort. But when the president had this idea, I thought it was an amazing one, because if we’re going to win this midterm cycle, we are going to have to do things that have never been done before. The energy, the excitement that we had last night and tonight, the president was on absolute fire. But this is also a call to action to unite the base, to bring us together. And we’ve been holding the line the entire time, holding the line, holding the line, and now we’re going to start spending that money. We’re going to go out there, do 35 rallies, 100 tele-town halls. We’re going to go hit all these competitive districts, and we’re going to defy history this November. But planning this took a lot of staff, and a lot of hours. We’re so lucky to have the best operators in the country working for the Republican Party.
Washington Reporter:
It’s a little premature, but based on what you’ve seen so far, do you think that this will be a thing going forward that the RNC could do or should do every other midterm election going forward?
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
The president is a big part of what makes something like this so successful. But I think what you’re going to see is we’ve had millions of people viewing from around the country, a million viewers that watched different clips on social media today. Yes, at the end of the day, I do think it’s worth it. These guys did an amazing job. I think we’re going to do something that has not been done often: win these midterms as the incumbent party, but it’s going to be because of everything we’ve done, because we have the right candidates, because we have the resources, because we have the messaging. People always ask me, ‘Joe, could the Republican Party do a better job messaging? Message more. Say this. Say that.’ How do you do that? The best possible way is to do something like the midterm convention, like what we’re doing, and then we’re going to take this, we’re going to run all the way, 54 days until Election Day. We’re not going to stop. We have no option other than to win. We have to win because the left wants to fundamentally change the way we live here in America. We can’t let it happen. It’s common sense versus crazy. It’s good guys versus bad. We have to win.
Washington Reporter:
You can hear behind us a very excited crowd. Tell me about the response and the reaction to President Trump’s speech from last night.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
I’ve heard nothing but positive vibes, and the president was absolute fire last night. That’s why we’re having him anchor both nights. He’s so good at what he does. The base loves him. He’s been able to deliver these low propensity voters three times. That’s why we’re using him. He knows how to do it, and you can even see it with the audience. We have a great crowd, but right before he comes out and speaks, all of a sudden you have twice as many people. People love the president. They love his agenda. They love the fact that he’s turned the Republican Party into a working man’s party. We’re going to go to bat for the average American. We want to make sure that everybody has that chance of the American Dream. Don’t give up hope. Don’t believe that the communist utopia that the left is trying to sell America is the way to go. That leftist extremism is going to be rejected by the American people, and we’re going to win this to save the country and the world.
Washington Reporter:
Tell me about some of the candidates you’ve had; in addition to Trump, you’ve had Senate candidates and House candidates speak from the main stage. Was there anyone who stood out to you? Why is it important to be spotlighting these people who are running down ballot across the country?
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
Look right here in the great state of Texas; we had Ken Paxton last night, and the ballot for him moved a couple of points in a single night. He probably had the best speech he ever right here in this arena, right here in this convention, in front of millions of people watching, and I think it makes a big difference. If you look at all of our candidates, all these House candidates who are embracing the idea that we can do more for the American people, that we can give hope to the American people to achieve that American Dream, that’s why these candidates are great. Mike Rogers came out today, and he really knocked it out of the park, and we saw so many of these other great congressional candidates. Mike Lawler is always one of my favorite speakers. He’s in a district that defies logic. He’s a guy who’s in a district that’s minus seven, and yet he wins in New York. He doesn’t run away from the issues. He runs towards them, and he came out here and knocked everybody’s socks off. That’s the energy that we need in the party. That’s why these candidates are being so successful. We have great candidates with great ideas and a message that’s going to resonate with the American people.
Washington Reporter:
As we look at the 25th anniversary of 9/11, it’s worth noting that several of the the Democratic opponents of people like Mike Rogers — people like Abdul El-Sayed — have been campaigning with Hasan Piker, who says that America deserves 9/11. What do you make of that as we head into the 25th anniversary of that horrific terrorist attack, the worst terrorist attack.
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
It makes me sick that on the 25th anniversary of September 11, that a lot of Americans must have forgotten. Now they elected Zohran Mandami to run that city. I have no idea what happened, but we can’t forget what what those guys did us that day. We have to remember it. Although it’s 25 years ago, it’s a constant reminder of what we have to do to make sure that we keep our country safe, to make sure that we preserve freedom, to make sure we keep America the way it is, so that the America that we all grew up in stays the same. We can’t let these open borders people who hate our country that the Democrats want to let it in like they did under Joe Biden take over. That was tens of millions of people. Cut it out. Let’s make sure we put America first all the time.
Washington Reporter:
In Florida, there’s going to be a lot of turnover, and a lot of generational turnover in Congress. Byron Donalds is running for governor. You have Austin Rogers in the Panhandle. You have your own wife, Sydney Gruters, running for Congress. You’ve already said in the past she’s a better candidate than you are. What advice do you have for the Republicans running in Florida to make sure that they finish strong in November?
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
We’re so lucky to have Byron Donalds at the top of the ticket, along with Ashley Moody running for U.S. Senate. They’re two of the best candidates we could possibly put up, and as a result, as we get past this primary, as we consolidate the base around both Donalds and around Moody, we’ll also have potentially nine members of Congress who may be new Republicans as a result of redistricting and because of retirement. These new elected officials are going to be great conservative MAGA warriors and they are going to be successful. But it all starts with Byron Donalds. He’s one of the best communicators in the country. He has a silver tongue, and he’s a great conservative.
Washington Reporter:
Speaking of Florida Republicans, I was writing an article about Randy Fine, who you know well, as well as about Carlos Gimenez, who are two Florida Republicans in Congress, as well as about Rick Scott, your senator, about how they and other Republicans around the country are pushing back about what we’ve seen from some of America’s allies in Europe that are boycotting Jewish goods right ahead of the Jewish New Year. Is there something in the water in Florida that makes the Republicans there stand so strongly with our allies in Israel?
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
We’re committed to doing the right thing, and you can’t accept anti-Semitism at all. What we did in Florida over the last ten years, including myself as the sponsor of some of those bills that changed the definition of what anti-Semitism is, that put some of these bans in place, has been really important. We have to stand strong. You can’t have weakness when it comes to supporting our allies, and the fact is, we’re stronger as a party as a result. And the fact that the left has open anti-Semites, basically Jew-hating candidates around the country, it makes you wonder. I don’t understand why any Jewish Democrat is still with them. They should all be on our side. We’re going to continue to move the ball forward. We have the right leaders in place. President Trump is the start of that. There’s never been a better president for the Jewish people than Donald J. Trump.
Washington Reporter:
You’ve done a great job talking over this soundtrack in the background. If you had a walk-up song for yourself, what are you picking?
RNC Chairman Joe Gruters:
I would probably do probably one of the old Metallica songs, like when I used to be in high school when we ran out in the tunnel. It’d be a feel-good, pump-you-up type of song.
