President Donald Trump campaigned in Corinth, Mississippi, urging a packed arena of voters not to stay home during the midterm elections as a historically safe Senate seat tightens. The late-October rally arrived just eight days before Election Day, part of a 32-day midterm blitz targeting states Trump won by large margins in 2024.
The urgency in Mississippi comes as the Cook Political Report shifted its rating of the contest between Republican incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democratic challenger Scott Colom from solid Republican to likely Republican. Speaking with Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell for The Daily Signal, Trump emphasized the stakes of voter turnout.
TO THE GREAT PEOPLE OF MISSISSIPPI, GET OUT AND VOTE FOR: – Cindy Hyde-Smith for U.S. Senate– Trent Kelly for U.S. Congress (MS-01)– Michael Guest for U.S. Congress (MS-03)– Mike Ezell for U.S. Congress (MS-04) These Great Patriots have my Complete and Total Endorsement —…
— https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/2113416393744117919
“I want to make sure she wins,” Trump told The Daily Signal. “She’s a great person, and she’s a great senator. She loves Mississippi. She loves her state.”
A Tightening Race in a Deep-Red Stronghold
Mississippi is reliably conservative, but the narrowing margins have forced national figures to step in. During the Monday night rally, Trump urged his supporters to treat the midterm ballot as if he were running himself, noting that when he is on the ballot, exactly 49% more people show up. He warned the crowd against complacency.
I asked @POTUS about Cook Report moving MS from solid R to likely R. "I want to make sure she wins. She's a great person, and she's a great senator. She loves Mississippi. She loves her stat,” he told @DailySignal. pic.twitter.com/XmKBPFT6W8″
— https://x.com/i/status/2114832681506619853
“Sometimes when you think somebody’s doing so well, nobody votes,” Trump said. “They all stay home.”
The Republican campaign faces headwinds from rural voters expressing discontentment with high prices. Addressing economic concerns directly, Trump defended current oil prices and argued that they could climb higher. He attributed the situation to the war in Iran, asserting it was a necessary step that should have been taken a decade ago.
President Trump spoke to a packed house of enthusiastic fans in MS.He threw hats to supporters as he took the stage. @DailySignal pic.twitter.com/eWoBgwhx3I
— https://x.com/i/status/2114890762781433971
“The price of oil is lower than it was with [Joe] Biden and [Barack] Obama, and they didn’t do anything to do with destroying nuclear capability,” Trump added.
Local Investments and Partisan Contrasts
Shifting focus to regional economic development, Trump highlighted corporate investments in the state. He pointed to Toyota committing $129 million to expand production at its Blue Springs plant, Mississippi.
The final stretch of the rally featured sharp contrasts between the candidates. Trump characterized Colom as a disaster on policy issues, telling the audience that his opponent would pursue gun control and open borders, before reiterating his call to reelect Hyde-Smith.
The Colom campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Signal regarding the criticism or the shifting race dynamics.
Foreign Policy and Unrest Abroad
Following the Mississippi stop, Trump returned to Washington and briefly spoke with the press. When asked about escalating unrest in Europe, he dismissed concerns that the situation would spiral further out of control.
“That’s an immigration problem,” Trump told The Daily Signal. “It’s a huge problem. They should have stopped it a long time. And I told every one of them they should do that.”
