Trump kicks off 32-day midterm campaign blitz in Texas and Oklahoma

Trump opens blitz in safe Republican territory

President Donald Trump began a 32-day campaign tour on Thursday with back-to-back rallies in Texas and Oklahoma, the first leg of a sustained push aimed at bolstering Republican candidates before the November midterm elections. Reporting from Texas noted that Trump started the day at a Peterbilt Motors factory in Denton, where he promoted his tariff and trade agenda, before traveling by motorcade to a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, after weather concerns grounded the presidential aircraft and forced the press vehicle to reach 98 mph at one point.

Stump speech targets his economic record

Speaking at the Peterbilt plant and later in Oklahoma, Trump cast his administration's performance in the strongest terms and framed the tour as an effort to overcome what he described as inadequate promotion of his record. "I give us an A+ on the government, on economics, on everything," Trump told supporters at the Peterbilt facility. He added that he was throwing himself into the midterms because the party had fallen short in messaging. "My heart is in it like never before," he said at the Texas event, and later told the Oklahoma crowd: "Pretend I'm running please."

The tour launches as Trump acknowledged, at a Wednesday White House event, that he had "done a bad job so far in selling" his economic record since returning to the White House in January 2025. Voter discontent over his handling of the economy has fueled a shift in the electoral map, with some safe Republican seats now viewed as competitive in November by political analysts. At the Oklahoma rally, Trump listed states where Republicans face trouble: "We're worried about Michigan, we're worried about Texas, we're worried about a few states."

Senate battle in Texas anchors the trip

Texas is among eight Senate races rated competitive, and Trump used the Denton stop to rally behind Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee challenging Democrat James Talarico after Trump backed Paxton over incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the primary. At the Peterbilt factory, Trump called Paxton "the greatest attorney general in the United States of America" and added: "We gotta get this guy elected," before criticizing Talarico, whom Republicans have sought to paint as out of touch with Texas's beef industry.

Reporting noted lingering friction between the two men after a leaked recording in which Paxton told donors that the party's September midterm convention had hurt Republican candidates. The Paxton campaign dismissed the recording as "manipulated nonsense," and Trump said on Wednesday he had not heard about it.

Energy costs and Iran war shadow the message

The economic pitch runs into record-high energy prices tied to the Iran war. Diesel hit a record $5.97 per gallon two weeks ago, and average gas costs are up almost 44% at $3.92 per gallon compared with the same point a year earlier, according to travel analyst AAA. Both the economy and the war on Iran are expected to weigh heavily on the November 3 midterm, and a number of Republican candidates have grown more willing to break with Trump on issues including the Iran conflict and the spread of electricity-guzzling data centers. The Trump administration has pointed to job gains linked to truck tariffs, saying companies such as PACCAR, Peterbilt's owner, added more than 2,000 jobs nationwide, including about 1,000 at the Denton plant.

Approval ratings and what's next

Trump's poll numbers have raised concerns about Republican prospects, with reporting describing record-low approval ratings as he positioned himself as central to the party's midterm strategy. "If we don't win, they'll end up impeaching me," Trump told supporters in Durant. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are up for grabs, and losing Republican control of either chamber could complicate Trump's legislative agenda in the final two years of his second term. Following the Texas and Oklahoma rallies, Trump is scheduled to visit Alabama, Ohio and Nebraska in the coming days, including a Friday Alabama stop, before moving into more competitive House and Senate races.