Trump rallies red states amid fears about GOP voter enthusiasm as midterms approach

President Trump embarked on a campaign trail across a remarkably conservative part of America in a six-day blitz that began Monday, trying to increase Republican turnout in places the party didn’t consider competitive just a few months ago.

With just two weeks until the midterm elections, Mr. Trump’s itinerary reflects how worried the Republican Party is about his chances of retaining the House and Senate and winning gubernatorial elections nationwide.

Traditionally, Republican strongholds have become battlegrounds during this cycle. Polls in those countries show that Mr. Trump’s policies on tariffs and the war in Iran — and their effects on gasoline, diesel and food prices for ordinary Americans — have seriously threatened the party’s fortunes.

The president began his campaign in Kansas, intending to run through the Carolinas, Florida, Iowa and Georgia. He will run into five districts he won in 2024 by more than 20 points, and mostly in states where Senate elections are unusually competitive.

He notably stays away from traditional battleground states such as Maine and New Hampshire, where Republican candidates have distanced themselves from the president in hopes of winning over more moderate voters. His choice appears to signal a political strategy that aims not to persuade influential voters but to shore up the grassroots support that fueled his rise.