By Bo Erickson and Steve Holland
PARK CITY, Kan., Oct 19 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday used violent unrest in France as an argument against Democrats in his battle to defend a Kansas Senate seat long held by Republicans but at risk of falling to his political opponents.
Trump’s rally on behalf of outgoing Republican President Roger Marshall was his latest foray into conservative states where Republican candidates are on the defensive because of voter frustration over the war in Iran and rising prices.
“I love you Kansas, but I’m here for a guy named Roger Marshall,” Trump said.
In a new addition to his stump speech, Trump discussed the widespread protests in France as a scenario that could erupt in the United States unless the Republicans win. He provided no evidence.
France has seen some of the worst unrest in years in recent days, as huge protests over the cost of living and the underfunding of public services descended into riots and looting.
Trump himself has struggled to make goods and services more affordable in the United States.
In his speech, Trump turned to anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, the type of rhetoric he has used to fuel his three presidential campaigns.
“We are not going to allow this to happen to this country,” he said. “When you see bell towers burning and fires raging in France, just remember that this is what radical Democrats want to do to America.”
Trump mocked Democrats as Democrats. Rights advocates have repeatedly criticized Trump for his rhetoric over the years in which he has targeted and mocked immigrants and ethnic minority groups. Civil rights groups say such rhetoric normalizes discriminatory attitudes toward these communities.
KANSAS CONTEST
Kansas, a conservative Midwestern state won by 16 points in 2024, has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 94 years. Sen. Marshall, who is in his first term, is in a close battle with Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton, a pastor at a Methodist megachurch, who is running against Trump’s tariff agenda and what he calls the president’s “erratic leadership.”
“He wants you to repent of being born white,” Trump said of Hamilton.
Marshall, in his remarks at the rally, led his campaign argument on cultural issues such as stopping “radical Islam.” He called Hamilton “too woke” for Kansas because he supports gay pride parades, which the crowd booed loudly.
“We need someone who can sort heifers and steers,” he said.
In response, Hamilton’s campaign spokesperson called Marshall’s campaign a “trainwreck.”
“Nothing said at the rally can distract from the fact that Kansans are being crushed by rising gas and diesel prices, struggling to access affordable health care and are tired of corruption in Washington,” said spokesman Tyson Brody.
In a video Monday, Hamilton welcomed Trump to the state and said his supporters had “a place” in his campaign. Hamilton said, “He will work with Trump when it makes sense and stand up for Kansans when Washington’s policies hurt farmers and rural hospitals.”
The tight race is emblematic of the challenges awaiting Republicans in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, as they try to defy political headwinds and maintain control of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Trump is immersed in a 32-day campaign blitz, frequently traveling to friendly zones he won handily in previous elections.
A Republican familiar with Trump’s midterm strategy said the president’s focus on rural parts of the country was a response to internal polling showing low support among men 55 and younger in rural areas of the country, a voting bloc crucial to Trump’s 2024 presidential victory.
ECONOMIC CONCERNS
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Monday, finds that 31% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in office, a record level for the president.
Democrats need a net gain of four seats in the U.S. House and Senate to overturn Republicans’ narrow majorities (218-214 and 53-47).
In Park City, near Wichita, many participants walked more than a mile on Interstate 135 to reach the rural arena, as a red and green truck stop sign displayed its latest prices above their heads: $3.98 for gasoline and $5.78 for diesel.
That’s up about 45 percent from average gas prices in the state last year, according to the AAA auto club.
Economic concerns were palpable among Trump’s most loyal supporters.
“Being disabled I don’t have much, but it seems prices keep going up and they need to come down. It’s like you have to search or hunt to find food,” said Monique Mullen, 59, a Republican voter from Hutchinson, Kansas, who takes care of her father.
A small block of protesters gathered near the arena, including James Nightingale, a self-described independent from Halstead, Kansas.
“I’m a Kansas farmer and the Trump administration has decimated my area’s agricultural economy. Not only have his tariffs decimated our grain sales markets, but now he’s importing beef from outside the country. What happened to ‘America First’?” he said.
Kansans have proven their willingness to cross party lines, as voters elected a Democratic governor, Laura Kelly, for the last two terms. “I don’t think it’s ever easy to get elected here,” said Gina Seman, a Trump voter from Towanda, Kansas, noting that Republican candidates in the past have taken their popularity for granted.
(Reporting by Bo Erickson and Steve Holland; additional reporting by Kanishka Singh; editing by Caitlin Webber and Lincoln Feast.)
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