Donald Trump used a Kentucky rally to project his influence over the Republican Party as it faces a difficult midterm election, urging supporters to treat the contest as though he himself were on the ballot.
Speaking in Highland Heights on Saturday, the president backed Republican candidates including Ed Gallrein, who is standing for the US House. He told the crowd: “I can do stuff that is unbelievable.”
Trump was referring to his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, and claimed his second term had given him greater authority than his first.
“I don’t think I could have done this in my first term. This is a much more powerful term,” he said. “Google wouldn’t have taken my call in the first. Now, they kiss my ass.”
He also said he had changed the name of a lake in Canada to “Lake America”, referring to Lake Ontario.
The president’s display of confidence came as voters have expressed frustration over the way he has used his power. Tariffs and the war with Iran have driven up prices, while more Americans are said to view him as acting in his own interests rather than those of the country.
Control of both chambers of Congress will be contested in the midterms. A Democratic victory could pave the way for investigations into Trump’s administration, making the elections a central focus of his political efforts.
At the rally, Trump said Republicans had to win and asked voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot”. Republicans are privately concerned that growing disapproval of his administration could damage the party’s prospects.
Trump warned that a Democratic victory would mean the United States would “have a depression”. He also claimed the Democratic platform included abolishing the Senate and Supreme Court, although neither proposal appears in the party’s platform. He has sought to associate the claims with the Democratic Socialists of America, whose candidates have won several primary contests this year.
He repeated a promise that every American adult would receive $5,000 if Republicans won control of the House and Senate. The proposal would most likely cost more than $1 trillion, require congressional approval and add to the country’s annual budget deficit of nearly $1.8 trillion.
Trump also made a conditional pledge to Kentucky, saying the Department of Defense would invest in revitalising a drug manufacturing facility in the state if Republicans won.
Gas prices featured prominently in his remarks. Trump said the war with Iran would end soon and that petrol prices would fall below their previous levels, prompting cheers from the crowd.
Gallrein joined Trump on stage after defeating Representative Thomas Massie in the Republican primary. Massie had angered the president by pressing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and opposing the war with Iran, while Trump backed Gallrein’s challenge.
Massie retains support among some conservative voters for repeatedly standing by his principles, including when that meant voting against his own party. When Trump called him a “jerk” and a “loser” and praised Gallrein as a more loyal replacement, the response was muted, with roughly half the arena applauding and the rest remaining silent.
