Trump makes Red River run to rev up base, ensure GOP victories
by Kerry Picket, Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesDENTON, Texas — President Trump on Thursday toured a Peterbilt truck plant in North Texas to highlight the GOP’s job-creation agenda, kicking off a tour of ruby-red states “just to make sure” Republicans win in a tough midterm cycle.
Mr. Trump stopped at Peterbilt Motors Company, which churns out 200 trucks per day, before crossing into Oklahoma to stump for Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Mazzei in Durant.
Peterbilt employees credited Mr. Trump’s tariffs with protecting their industry and allowing the company to expand.
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Mr. Trump said companies like Peterbilt have been loyal to the U.S., but former politicians allowed job-creating companies to go overseas.
“They’ll do it again if you don’t get guys like Ken Paxton elected. Such a big race,” Mr. Trump said, giving a shout-out to the Texas attorney general who is in a tight Senate race against Democrat James Talarico. “We need Ken so badly.”
The Peterbilt employees cheered on Mr. Trump during his remarks and began chanting “U.S.A.” at one point.
He said his administration is “rolling back a horrible thing, the nitrogen oxide regulation,” which he described as a rule that would have hurt heavy truck manufacturing.
He said the action “alone will cut an estimated $6,000 from the cost of each truck built” and the result “will be a much better truck.”
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Mr. Trump said he “terminated Sleepy Joe Biden’s disastrous fuel emissions standards, which helped you a lot.”
He added, “Anyway, I really did it for the trucking industry.”
The president’s visit let him campaign in two states as Republicans cling to congressional majorities this cycle and support candidates for governor.
“The midterm elections are all about turnout, and there’s no one who energizes and engages Republican voters like President Donald J. Trump,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Natalie Baldassarre.
Mr. Trump is boosting Mr. Mazzei, the Republican nominee for governor, against Democrat Cyndi Munson, the state House minority leader.
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Mr. Mazzei is strongly favored to win and replace term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, but Democrats are trying to make it a close race after a bruising GOP primary.
“I think he’s in good shape,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Mazzei. “With my endorsement, he won the primary.”
On Capitol Hill, Democrats seek a net gain of three seats to retake the House and four seats to win a Senate majority.
Political analysts say Democrats have a real shot at capturing the House, while capturing the Senate is a taller order.
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The Senate race in Texas is closer than the GOP would like, with Mr. Talarico up roughly 3 points in the polls.
“It is a worrying sign that a month before the election Trump is having to shore up support in very Republican states,” said Darrell West, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution.
Mr. Trump said Thursday he won states like Oklahoma “by a lot” and he is touring red states “just to make sure.”
Republican operatives credit Mr. Trump with executing a savvy strategy that hits multiple media markets at once.
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The Texas visit allowed him to tap into the Dallas-Fort Worth market, and an upcoming stop in Mobile, Alabama, will straddle the Pensacola media market that includes the western counties of the Florida Panhandle.
Mr. Trump held his first stadium rally in Mobile, Alabama, over a decade ago, so the visit is a direct appeal to his grassroots support.
A GOP official said Mr. Trump plans to barnstorm the country to activate voters, making additional visits to Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Texas.
The Democratic National Committee said voters are disappointed with relatively sluggish job numbers and the lack of a promised manufacturing boom.
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“Trump and [Vice President J.D.] Vance are turning a blind eye, as they double down on their disastrous policies — and in less than five weeks, voters are going to hold them accountable at the ballot box,” said DNC Deputy Communications Director Kendall Witmer.
Mr. Trump is exuding confidence about the GOP chances.
“I think we’ll do OK if I campaign, and I intend to,” he told Time magazine in an interview posted Thursday. “When I campaign, I give people a lot.”
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Tom Howell Jr.
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Kerry Picket
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