Trump Tells Supporters to Pretend He Is on the Ballot as October Campaign Blitz Takes Shape

President Trump is telling Republican voters to treat the Nov. 3 midterms as if his name were on the ticket, warning that a Democratic win would reopen the border and bring a new surge in crime. “Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” he told a Myrtle Beach crowd while campaigning for Sen. Darline Graham. “Just come and vote. It’s so important.” He repeated the line at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas: “I’m asking you to pretend I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot. I’m on the ballot. Just one more time.” If Republicans lose, he said, “you’re going to lose your border. You’re going to lose your tax cuts. You’re going to lose your safety and security. You’re going to lose your wealth.”

Advisers are mapping an almost-daily October schedule for Trump and Vice President JD Vance aimed at lifting turnout among low-propensity MAGA voters by two to three points. Planned and reported stops include Florida, Texas, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, and Alaska, plus early-October rallies in Oklahoma and Alabama chosen in part for their reach into neighboring media markets. Battleground rallies are slated to begin around Oct. 3. Vance is also increasing travel, including Ohio appearances for Sen. Jon Husted. The White House has referred schedule questions to the Republican National Committee. Party officials describe the president as the GOP’s strongest turnout machine when his supporters believe the election is about him.

In Texas, the Senate Leadership Fund and its affiliated Texas PAC have sharply increased spending to defend Attorney General Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico. SLF has raised its Texas advertising commitment to about $100 million. Republican-aligned groups are planning roughly $166 million from September through Election Day in the Senate race, more than five times the Democratic side’s planned $32 million in some trackers. GOP-aligned spending in Texas for the cycle is expected to exceed $300 million. SLF executive director Alex Latcham said the investment “affirms our commitment to maintaining the Republican majority.” Veteran strategist Karl Rove said the outlay is necessary even if it is not the race party leaders would have chosen.

Separately, the White House has aired taxpayer-funded television spots promoting the president and his record, including ads during weekend football. One closely tracks a 2024 campaign commercial. The spots carry a “Paid for by the U.S. Government” disclaimer. The administration calls them public-service announcements and notes that Trump is not on the ballot. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said, “It’s a great message. I like the message, but it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars.” Sens. John Cornyn, John Kennedy, Thom Tillis, Mike Rounds, and John Curtis have also objected. Democrats and some ethics lawyers argue the ads run afoul of appropriations language barring unauthorized publicity and raise Hatch Act questions. Reporting has put disclosed spending in the high six figures to about $1.5 million. CNN, citing people familiar with the matter, said Trump personally helped shape the ads.

Trump has said midterms are “not supposed to be won by the sitting president” and that he intends to change that. He has also said MAGA Inc. will put hundreds of millions behind House and Senate candidates in the closing weeks. The turnout push, the Texas air war, and the government-funded spots now sit on the same calendar: five weeks to Nov. 3.