What did Donald Trump do today?

He announced the list of Republicans who can't get out of going to his "midterm convention." 

One of Trump's ideas for staving off a likely Democratic wave in the midterm election is to hold a party convention this year. Normally, these are done in presidential election years, and serve two functions: they act as a coronation for the party's presidential nominee, and they finalize the party's platform.

This "convention" won't have a platform. In fact, that's how Trump likes it: when he ran for re-election in 2020, he took the unprecedented step of suspending the platform process altogether and, in effect, ruling party policy by fiat. A number of what used to be bedrock Republican principles—for example, opposing the Putin regime—were embarrassing to the way Trump actually governed as president.

The two-day event will have a coronation of Trump, though. He has put himself in prime-time speaking slots on both nights, and he will unveil two ads intended to run nationally that feature him as opposed to local Republican candidates. 

Trump is profoundly unpopular 19 months into his second term. Nevertheless, he seems to genuinely believe that the best chance Republicans will have to hold onto bare majorities in Congress is to make the election all about him. That's straight from Trump's mouth: he recently told a crowd at a political rally that "What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot." 

Trump's convention is, to put it mildly, extremely unpopular with the Republicans it is theoretically supposed to help. Only one person, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) who running for re-election in a swing House district will appear on the program. Many GOP officeholders are incensed that they are expected to pay $25,000 for the privilege of attending, and have found excuses not to go.  

Today, Trump unveiled the final program for the event, which will take place next Wednesday and Thursday in Houston. Trump's midterm convention will feature 47 speakers, including five women and seven men named Michael.

Why does this matter?

• One way for a president to make themselves an asset to their party would be to govern in a way that Americans didn't hate. 

• There are words like "megalomania" and "narcissism" to describe the unshakeable belief that people worship you as much as you worship yourself, and none of them are indicators of good mental health.