President Donald Trump kicked off Republicans closing push ahead of the midterms by sharpening attacks on Democrats in key races that will decide control of Con
President Donald Trump kicked off Republicans closing push ahead of the midterms by sharpening attacks on Democrats in key races that will decide control of Congress as he prepares to hit the campaign trail over the next two months.
Trump and Republicans in Congress are hoping to overcome economic and political headwinds to retain their slim majorities after the November midterms. The president’s party typically loses seats in midterm cycles, putting tight majorities in perilous positions ahead of the election.
Republicans held the first day of a two-day midterm convention on Wednesday as the party tries to make up an enthusiasm gap with Democrats and try to keep their majorities intact. The president is at the center of the convention, giving a lengthy speech the first evening and is scheduled to be the final speaker on Thursday night.
Trump and other speakers railed against Democrats throughout the evening, accusing the party of becoming too liberal and wanting to overturn the American way of life.
How Trump described the key races in the closing stretch to Election Day:
HITTING THE TRAIL
Trump promised to visit all the midterm battleground states ahead of next month’s elections and campaign for candidates in 35 races that will decide control of Congress.
The president has been trying to persuade Republican voters to turn out across the country by pretending he is on the ballot, a nod to the differences in turnout in years where he has been a candidate compared to the midterm years where he is not.
Trump has recently started traveling to states with competitive races to boost the GOP’s agenda and highlight candidates in tight races.
“We can win every one of those races, but I’m going to go to every one of those states for congressmen and for senators. I’m going to do that, and we’re going to have rallies,” he said. “In a couple cases, I’ll go twice.”
MICHIGAN
Trump tried to paint Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee as being too extreme for the state and back republicans in a race that could help determine control of the Senate.
Abdul El-Sayed is running against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers for a seat being vacated by the retirement of Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. El-Sayed narrowly won the primary over moderate Rep. Haley Stevens and has frequently been targeted in GOP attacks for his progressive views and ties to others who have taken controversial positions on hot-button issues.
The president claimed El-Sayed wants to fill the Supreme Court with “far-left lunatics justices” and encouraged Republicans to vote for Rogers on Election Day.
Trump also took aim at El-Sayed for his ties to controversial progressive streamer Hasan Piker, who the Democratic nominee has sought to distance himself from recently amid backlash over Piker’s comments about 9/11.
“He campaigns with a Marxist agitator who says that America deserved 9/11? We deserve to have 3,000 people killed, two massive structures brought to the ground. We deserved it, right? Yet the Democrats want to make this extremist a U.S. senator.”
Piker has walked back his comments about 9/11, and El-Sayed has called them “dumb.”
NORTH CAROLINA
Trump accused former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running for Senate against former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley for an open seat, of working with “anti-police radicals” to release dangerous criminals from prison and making the state unsafe in reference to a settlement in 2021 that authorized the early release or transition of 3,500 prisoners during the pandemic.
He and Whatley have tried to tie Cooper to the death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman who was stabbed to death on a Charlotte commuter train. The man accused of her murder has an extensive criminal history who was on supervised release.
“Roy Cooper was the governor. Released this animal into North Carolina society, and others that were, and others that were almost as bad,” Trump said.
He also criticized Cooper for his response to Hurricane Helene in 2024, which ravaged parts of the state and also became a campaign issue in the 2024 presidential election.
“He was a disaster during that very traumatic time, and it only got fixed on Jan. 20 when I came into office,” he said.
TEXAS
Trump also highlighted the Senate race in Texas, which could become one of the most expensive in U.S. history as Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton faces Democratic candidate James Talarico, who has been leading in several polls in the reliably red state.
Trump praised Paxton, who he endorsed in the primary over Sen. John Cornyn, as the “greatest attorney general in America” who would protect the state from Democrats who he claimed want to take away freedoms.
The president criticized Talarico’s appearance, claimed he wanted to destroy the state’s oil and gas industry and attacked him for previous statements he has made about Christianity.
"This guy would be a disaster, and he stated that he wants to totally dismantle capitalism," Trump said.
Trump also said he would be coming back to the state to campaign for Paxton.
"I'll be coming back to Texas because we have to elect Ken Paxton," Trump said. "And if I have to, I'll come back twice or three times."
STAKES FOR REPUBLICANS
While Republicans have an electoral advantage to hang onto the Senate due to the states’ partisan tilts, Democrats have closed gaps or hold leads in seats that are currently held by the GOP. Both parties are gearing up for a tight race in the run-up to Election Day as more voters tune in before they cast ballots in November.
Most election forecasters favor Democrats to take the House, only needing a net gain of three seats to take the majority. Due to partisan mapmaking and mid-decade redistricting, which party controls the House will likely come down to a handful of races scattered across the country.
If Republicans lose either chamber, Trump’s chances of continuing to implement his agenda will significantly decline as he faces a majority opposed to nearly every facet of his administration. The White House is also likely to come under significant congressional scrutiny under Democratic majorities, with several lawmakers set to take over committees vowing stiff oversight of the Trump administration after the midterms.
