As the midterms loom, Trump returns to his happy place: on stage in the theatre of the absurd

President's quest in self-mythology stops off in Dallas for a Republican convention where fans indulged his lies and revelled in his jokes

Kim Il-sung of North Korea reportedly sought transfusions of blood from young men; Mao Zedong of China believed sex with young women could prolong his life; Muammar Gaddafi underwent fat injections and hair transplantation to make himself look younger. But for Donald Trump, the secret of eternal youth lies in nights like this.

The occasion of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas was enough to get the 80-year-old US president's juices flowing. An arena with thousands of fanatical supporters indulging his lies, laughing at his jokes and burnishing his fantasies of greatness is Trump's happy place.