The Republican Party is set to host its first-ever midterm convention next month, but according to Puck News, party members are already frustrated as President Donald Trump turns the event into what critics inside the GOP describe as his latest messy “grift.”

Ahead of what are expected to be bruising midterm elections, Republicans are preparing for an unprecedented convention, a format usually reserved for crowning a top-of-the-ticket nominee during presidential election years. Trump has promoted the gathering as offering “lots of Great Entertainment” and “a RALLY like none other,” but strategists within the party told Puck that his influence has turned it into a “s——” show that “few lawmakers want to go” to. The event underscores how Trump’s grip on the party continues to shape not just campaign messaging, but also how Republicans raise money and stage their public appearances heading into a cycle where control of Congress is on the line.

Frustration appears to center largely on money. According to the Tuesday report, the National Republican Campaign Committee is asking House members to pay $25,000 for themselves and a guest to attend the two-day convention in Dallas, based on information reviewed by three people. The report said that is the lowest rate, while the highest tier asks lawmakers for $100,000.

Puck also reported that the Republican National Committee, which is hosting the convention, is taking sponsorship money from corporate donors and channeling it into a nonprofit that is not required to disclose its donors. Strategists complained that the event includes no party business, unlike a presidential nominating convention, and that invitations were sent only in the last several weeks, after many lawmakers had already committed to other events. As a result, some Republicans see little more than a fundraiser for a Trump production at a time when swing-district lawmakers are not eager to be linked to the president.

“It’s yet another opportunity to shake down corporate America,” one Republican campaign strategist told Puck. “Nobody understands why we’re doing a midterm convention. It’s just another show that Trump is going to put on to remind the voters that he is sitting there, and maybe they don’t want to be reminded of that.”

The report also said the timing is prompting concerns about optics. The convention is scheduled to take place just two days before the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Puck wrote that it may be “imperfect timing” for lawmakers to be photographed “carousing in elephant hats with the party’s wealthy elite.”

After the convention was announced, Politics USA founder Jasone Easley argued that it would hand Democrats a political gift heading into the midterms, saying Trump was seeking to “rub his stink of failure all over” the GOP at a time when voters are increasingly tired of him.

“Trump is going to hold a convention so that he can be the center of attention,” Easley said. “Trump is apparently also going to try to play concert promoter again after the Great American State Fair debacle, so prepare yourself for multiple performances of Proud To Be An American by Lee Greenwood. … Just in case you were curious, Trump is dedicating two nights to sinking Republican chances in the midterm election.”