‘Please pretend I’m running’: Trump urges voters to back Republicans in US midterm elections
Donald Trump is urging voters to treat the upcoming US midterm elections as a referendum on his presidency, despite not being on the ballot. He is campaigning for Republican candidates and promising a $5,000 payment to citizens if his party wins control of Congress.
Why it matters
The framing of midterms as a personal referendum and the promise of direct payments are significant campaign strategies that could influence voter turnout and policy discourse.
US President Donald Trump has urged voters to treat the November 3 midterm elections as a referendum on his presidency, warning that Democrats could undo his administration’s policies if they regain control of Congress.Trump, who is not eligible to run in the congressional elections as a candidate, made the appeal while campaigning for Republican candidates in Arizona and preparing to travel to Montana. He said he planned to hold around 32 or 33 rallies before election day to boost Republican turnout.“So essentially I’m saying, ‘Please pretend I’m running.’ And in a true sense, I am running because I don’t want them tearing down what we’ve built,” Trump told reporters.The President said he had already held about eight rallies and claimed Republican voter turnout fell by 49 per cent when he was not personally on the ballot, without providing evidence for the figure.“When I don’t run, which, you know, in theory…
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