WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s midterm “convention” will choose neither a candidate nor a platform, but state parties are nevertheless charging as much as $20,000 to be an “honorary delegate” on the floor of the Dallas Mavericks’ arena.

The Michigan Republican Party is charging $7,500 for a floor seat or $10,000 for a couple, according to the committee’s website. The California Republican Party is asking $10,000 to be a “VIP delegate” on the convention floor, although donor packages as high as $250,000 are available that include floor access, hotel rooms and gift bags with the state party logo on them.

The Texas state party is charging $20,000 for an “honorary delegate” credential, which includes a two-night hotel stay and a “Texas Shirt and Cowboy Hat,” according to a flyer obtained by HuffPost.

“Where is that money going?” wondered Joe Walsh, a former Republican lawmaker from Illinois who broke with Trump in the president’s first term, adding that money from Trump’s supporters to attend what he called a glorified rally was money that would not be spent to elect local Republicans. “Trump doesn’t give a fuck about the midterms. He makes everything about himself, and he has no problem taking money away from other Republicans.”

“It’s not a real convention. The RNC hasn’t written any rules for this. It’s just this grifter free-for-all.”

The Republican National Committee would not address HuffPost’s queries about the convention’s organization and the processes states could use to distribute tickets.

“This is a fundraising opportunity for state parties,” said Matt Shupe, spokesperson for the California Republican Party. “The delegates are getting the best seating possible. They are getting the best experience. And they are going to pay a premium for that.”

He said organizers are calling it a “Trumpapalooza” to energize Republican voters, and said that party activists seem to be enthusiastic about it. “This was the president’s idea. It looks like it’s going to be successful.”

Selling floor access to delegates is a break from both parties’ normal convention practices. Typically, delegates are chosen to represent congressional districts through a vote by party activists, although the party’s presidential nominee can pick some.

These delegates then generally pay for their own travel, lodging and meals, and a nominal ― $200 to $500 — fee to cover the administrative costs of actually being a delegate.

For Trump’s midterm “convention,” however, there is no national nominee to choose in a midterm year or even a platform to approve. One Republican consultant familiar with the RNC processes said that was the reason the delegates are being called “honorary delegates” — because there is actually nothing for them to do.

“It’s not a real convention. The RNC hasn’t written any rules for this,” he said on condition of anonymity, citing Trump’s famous vindictiveness. “It’s just this grifter free-for-all.”

He added the thousands of dollars being charged to be a delegate, on top of the travel costs, is unprecedented and will be difficult for grassroots activists. “That’s a lot of money for most of them,” he said.

The convention is to be held Sept. 9-10 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, a 20,000-seat arena used both by the NBA’s Mavericks and the NHL’s Stars. An arena of that size is standard for a political party nominating convention.

Both Walsh and the Republican consultant wondered how Trump will manage to fill such a space, though, in a midterm year when his own approval numbers are dismal and some GOP candidates may want to minimize their association with him.

“I think there’s a tremendous risk here that this could blow up. They might end up having to give tickets away,” the consultant said.

A prominent Florida Republican, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was no reason for the event to occur, but that if it had to take place, making it so expensive that only wealthy contributors could afford it was a terrible approach.

“Two months before the election, we’re going to have a donor rally?” he asked. “It’s a bad idea, poorly executed.”

He also wondered where the money collected would be going. “How much is the Trump family cut?” he said.

The White House did not respond to a HuffPost query asking whether Trump personally would be profiting from the convention.

Trump’s recent financial disclosure shows that he personally made $1.2 billion from the sale of cryptocurrency and related products, while an analysis found that more than half of that income came from the sale of his souvenir “$TRUMP” meme coins. Nearly 1 million buyers of that token lost a collective $3.8 billion as the token’s price plummeted after peaking shortly after Trump released it and promoted it to his followers.

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