President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Republican lawmakers facing difficult reelection races to campaign on his record in the White House despite his declining popularity, while pledging to campaign in all of the roughly three dozen contests expected to determine control of Congress.
Voters' negative views of the economy and the war in Iran have put Republicans in a difficult position as the midterm election season enters its final stretch. But at a dinner in the Rose Garden — one of the White House spaces he has controversially renovated since returning to office last year — Trump told some of his party's most vulnerable lawmakers that they had a strong record to present to voters.
“All you have to do is talk about it, and you're going to win and you're going to win big,” Trump said, a week before Republicans are scheduled to gather in Dallas for an unusual midterm convention.
The Republican lawmakers listened quietly throughout Trump's remarks, occasionally applauding as many sipped cocktails before dinner. Yellow gingham-covered menus described the event as an “end of summer BBQ” featuring cheeseburgers.
Trump highlighted economic investment in the United States, lower drug prices and reduced border crossings, though some of the figures he cited were significantly inflated.
Trump said control of Congress would be decided by about 35 races. He pledged to spend the 30 days before the election campaigning aggressively in those battleground contests, recalling his extensive travel schedule before his own White House victory two years ago.
“I'm going to go to every one of those 35 places, and we're going to see if we can get everyone elected,” Trump said. He said his efforts would focus on both House and Senate races.
He specifically mentioned Senate contests in Alaska, where Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is facing Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola, and Texas, where Republican state Attorney General Ken Paxton is running against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.
Trump endorsed Paxton during this year's primary despite his scandal-plagued past. However, Trump also joked Monday about Paxton's appearance and performance on the campaign trail.
“You might not love his look. You might not love his television interviews,” Trump said. “But he was the best attorney general in the country, perhaps. He was one of the best in the entire country. And that speaks a lot louder than the suit he's wearing that doesn't look so great.”
Trump suggested that the Republicans' difficulties in the midterm elections were part of a broader pattern faced by nearly all modern presidents.
“Whether you're a good president or a great president, you lose the midterms,” Trump said. “We're going to turn that around because there's no reason for it.”