Trump: I’m Hitting the Trail — Battleground Republicans File Into the White House

President Trump said Wednesday he will campaign for House, Senate, and gubernatorial candidates in the final 30 days before the Nov. 3 midterms, telling reporters he will make “a lot of stops” and telling Republican lawmakers at a White House Rose Garden dinner that “it’s all about 35 races.” “I’m going to take the final 30 days, maybe a little bit more than that,” he said. “I’m going to go to every one of those 35 places, and we’re going to see if we can get everyone elected.” He said he does not want to start much earlier “because people forget,” and that he will rely on Speaker Mike Johnson to identify contests that are tied, trailing, or winning by a small margin. “If you’re leading by 40 points and you’ve been there for 25 years … please don’t ask me to come to your area and make a speech,” he added. He told the dinner crowd, “I will be with you 100% all the way to November.”

Trump named two Senate races he intends to visit. He pledged to go to Alaska for incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, who faces former Rep. Mary Peltola under the state’s ranked-choice system. A retired teacher also named Dan J. Sullivan advanced from the August primary and remains on the general-election ballot; Trump called that candidacy a “disgrace” and said he would go “to fight for him, just to show you how crooked the Democrats are.” He also said he will travel to Texas for Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running against Democrat James Talarico. Trump said he will campaign for “numerous people, both Congress — a few governors. I love the governors, but we’re interested in the Senate and we’re interested in the House.” He cited his recent work for Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina and for Oklahoma’s Republican gubernatorial nominee as examples of late endorsements and tele-rallies that, in his account, moved races.

The Rose Garden dinner included members in competitive districts. Reps. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Tom Barrett of Michigan confirmed they would attend. Georgia Senate nominee Rep. Mike Collins was also invited, along with a wider group of at least several dozen lawmakers. The gathering came one week before the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9–10, which Trump is scheduled to headline. Some vulnerable members, including Barrett, have said they will skip the convention to campaign at home.

MAGA Inc., the super PAC aligned with Trump, has reported more than $400 million on hand. Federal Election Commission and AdImpact data cited by multiple outlets show the group has spent only a small share of that total on advertising this cycle. Its largest recent outlay was more than $827,000 in late calls and texts for Graham’s runoff. Trump told reporters last month he had raised about $850 million and would spend “a lot of that money” on Republican candidates he supports. Johnson has publicly said he is “very bullish” about holding the House and has been on a multi-state fundraising and campaign tour. Democrats have described the House map as winnable and have compared the cycle to 2018, when the president’s party lost dozens of seats. Cook Political Report has listed roughly two dozen House races and several Senate seats as toss-ups. The president compared the coming month to the last 120 days of his 2024 campaign.