Trump begins 32-day campaign drive before November midterms

US President Donald Trump began a 32-day campaign tour on Oct 2, travelling from Washington to events in Texas and Oklahoma as Republicans seek support before November’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.¹²

A sustained campaign push

Trump opened the tour at the Peterbilt Motors Company in Denton, Texas, where he promoted his tariff and trade policies, before holding a rally in Durant, Oklahoma. According to Al Jazeera, visits to Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska were scheduled to follow, while The Independent reported that he intended to spend much of October campaigning for Republican candidates.¹²³

The tour comes later than Trump’s advisers had initially expected, according to The Straits Times, which said the White House calendar had been heavily occupied by foreign policy and the Iran conflict. The newspaper reported that some Republican candidates welcomed Trump’s involvement, while others stressed local concerns and their own records.¹

Trump rejected suggestions that candidates were trying to separate themselves from his administration. “Just so you understand, they all want me to go,” he said. At his campaign event, he urged supporters to treat the election as if his own name were on the ballot.¹²

Polling and economic pressure

Republicans are defending narrow majorities in both congressional chambers, according to The Straits Times. Al Jazeera reported that all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are being contested, while several polls cited by The Straits Times showed Democrats ahead in important House contests and competing for Senate control.¹²

Al Jazeera reported that a Wall Street Journal poll put Trump’s approval rating at 37 per cent, the lowest recorded by that poll for a president before midterm elections since it began in 1990. The outlet also said 26 per cent approved of his handling of the economy and that about half of respondents worried about being able to pay for food and petrol.²

Trump nevertheless presented an optimistic assessment of his record. “We have the greatest numbers of any president in the history of our country, and I can't get the word out,” he said, arguing that his administration’s principal weakness was communicating its achievements. The Independent reported that interest rates remained high and that wage growth was only slightly above inflation.³

Iran war enters the campaign

Trump said it was possible that voters would penalise Republican candidates over the war on Iran, Middle East Eye reported. He argued, however, that describing the conflict as an effort to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon could benefit his party. Al Jazeera reported that 71 per cent of Americans disapproved of the war.²⁴

According to Al Jazeera, the United States and Israel began the war on Feb 28. The outlet said Iran subsequently halted commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy markets, and reported that diesel prices had exceeded $6 a gallon in the preceding week. The Straits Times said voters were concerned about petrol prices and the continuing conflict.¹²

A competitive Texas contest

In Texas, Trump campaigned for state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who defeated incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary and is contesting the Senate seat against Democrat James Talarico. The Straits Times described Texas as one of eight competitive Senate races, while The Independent reported that Talarico led Paxton in a Fox News poll.¹²³

A leaked recording was reported as saying that the Republican midterm convention in Texas had damaged Paxton and other candidates. Paxton’s campaign described the recording as “manipulated nonsense”. Trump said he had not heard it and praised the convention.¹²