Trump vows to help battleground Republicans who are already skipping his own midterm convention.

…(cont) The next day, the plan for showing off that record started to look thin. On August 30th, The Hill previewed the RNC's first-ever midterm convention, a two-day Dallas pep rally the report itself called "very hasty" and a "Trump-a-palooza," and noted that some Republicans were already quietly making other plans.

Those plans had names attached before the invitation even went out. On August 27th, former New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu, the frontrunner in his state's Senate primary, said he had no plans to attend. Four days later, the Washington Examiner reported that Sen. Susan Collins would skip it too — the word not from Collins herself, but from a source familiar with the situation, who added that not attending conventions has long been her practice.

By the night of the dinner, the pattern had a shape. The Hill reported Wednesday that Republicans are cautiously approaching next week's convention as Trump's approval rate shrinks, worried enough about his brand that some are opting out of the gathering entirely — the same report that put the party in danger of losing the House in November.

So the dinner ends, the plates get cleared, and the guest list for Dallas stays thin. The president who told the table "we are going to be helping you" is the same president some of the people at that table are arranging not to stand beside next week. The record stands; the RSVPs don't.