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Trump Closes Out a Campaign Built on Fear, Anger and Division Trump Closes Out a Campaign Built on Fear, Anger and Division
(about 3 hours later)
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — President Trump embarked Monday on a final three-state election swing that will close out an us-against-them midterm campaign built on dark themes of fear, anger, division, nationalism and racial animosity. CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. — President Trump on Monday closed out an us-against-them midterm election campaign that was built on dark themes of fear, nationalism and racial animosity in an effort to salvage Republican control of Congress for the remaining two years of his term.
The president’s thundering warnings about “left-wing mobs” and a migrant “invasion” have inflamed the passions of a country, energizing conservatives he hopes to mobilize to hang onto control of Congress while exasperating opponents who accuse him of fear-mongering and demagogy. Mr. Trump’s fiery, invective-filled campaigning produced what may be the most polarized midterm contest in modern times as he played to tribal rifts in American society in a way that no president has done since the civil rights era. The divisions exposed and expanded over the past few weeks seem certain to last well beyond Election Day.
Mr. Trump kicked off the first of three rallies in Cleveland in front of a loud and energetic crowd of thousands. His remarks were laced with his usual, acerbic attacks on his adversaries — “radical,” “left-wing socialists,” “corrupt,” “the Democratic mob” — and accusations that Democrats would raise taxes, destroy Medicare and enact a socialist takeover of the American health care system. On Tuesday, voters will choose a new House, decide one-third of the seats in the Senate and select new governors for battleground states that will be critical to the 2020 presidential campaign. On the line for the president will be his ability to legislate, appoint new judges and ultimately set the stage to run for a second term.
But he again reserved his most vitriolic language for the issue of immigration, repeatedly prompting loud boos as he warned that if Democrats take over the House, they will invite murderers to come into the United States to kill men, women and children. More than most midterms, this election became a referendum on Mr. Trump, as he himself has told his audiences it would be. The president’s energetic rallies appear to have bolstered Republicans who were trying to match Democratic fervor, and 36 million ballots were cast even before Election Day, with early voting higher than four years ago in 25 states and the District of Columbia.
“Democrats are inviting caravan after caravan, illegal aliens to flood into our country,” Mr. Trump boomed. He falsely said that Democrats want to give health care benefits to undocumented immigrants and are openly encouraging undocumented immigrants to vote. Fueled by anti-Trump zeal, Democrats appeared poised to recapture control of the House and governors’ mansions in key Midwestern states, but Republicans were confident they would hold onto their razor-thin majority in the Senate and possibly even build on it. A split decision could set the stage for two years of partisan warfare led by subpoena-powered Democratic committee leaders intent on investigating everything from his taxes to Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.
Mr. Trump has generated overflow crowds of red-hatted supporters wherever he has gone in these final days, drawing energy from their adulation and pumping them up to head to the polls on Tuesday to salvage Republican majorities in the House and Senate. After Cleveland, he headed to Fort Wayne, Ind.
Underscoring the emphasis on his base, Mr. Trump will finish out the day at a late-night rally alongside the radio host Rush Limbaugh in the latter’s hometown, Cape Girardeau, Mo.
“We’re going to have a very good day,” Mr. Trump told reporters before leaving Washington for Cleveland. “They’re packed houses. Every one of them is packed. And there is a great electricity in the air. I don’t know if you report it that way, but there is a great electricity in the air like we haven’t seen, in my opinion, since the ’16 election. So something’s happening.”
Even so, he acknowledged that he is planning a shake-up after the election. “Administrations make changes usually after midterms, and probably we’ll be right in that category, too,” he told the reporters. “I think it’s very customary.” He added that, “for the most part, I love my cabinet.”
He did nothing to wave off the assumption that Attorney General Jeff Sessions would go, but dismissed speculation that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis could also be leaving. “Why would I do that?” he asked. “Is that the new rumor? No, no, I don’t at all.”
As for Ryan Zinke, the interior secretary who is facing multiple investigations, Mr. Trump said that “he’s done a very good job,” but that “I would not be happy with that at all” and that “I will take a look.”
Mr. Trump has declared that the election will be a referendum on him, and his campaign strategy itself became one of the biggest issues. He has eagerly taken credit for the healthy economy, even exaggerating its merits, but rather than make that the centerpiece of his campaign in hopes of appealing to independents and moderates, he waged the fall battle on the ground of immigration.
Describing himself as a “nationalist,” Mr. Trump has vilified immigrants, both legal and illegal, playing to tribal rifts in American society in a way that went beyond what most presidents have done during competitive midterm elections in the modern era. His supporters cheered him on, embracing a leader they said was finally taking on the cosseted elites and guarding the country against outsiders. But the divisions he encouraged will bedevil the country beyond Election Day.
Asked by reporters on Monday if the elections were turning as much on his style of leadership as anything else, the president said, “I don’t think so, but, I mean, I’m willing to accept that.”
He made no effort to distance himself from the harshness of his campaign, including an advertisement that was deemed too racist to run by several networks and Facebook that either rejected it or pulled it, including his favorite, Fox News. “A lot of things are offensive,” Mr. Trump said. “Your questions are offensive a lot of times.”
Mr. Trump used the final day of the campaign to raise the possibility of voter fraud, a perennial interest of his.
“Law Enforcement has been strongly notified to watch closely for any ILLEGAL VOTING which may take place in Tuesday’s Election (or Early Voting),” he wrote Monday on Twitter. “Anyone caught will be subject to the Maximum Criminal Penalties allowed by law. Thank you!”
In his later encounter with reporters, the president offered no basis for suggesting that large-scale fraud was likely. “All you have to do is go around, take a look what’s happened over the years and you’ll see,” he said. “There are a lot of people, a lot of people, in my opinion and based on proof, that try and get in illegally and actually vote illegally. So we just want to let them know that there will be prosecutions at the highest level.”
The invocation of voter fraud could foreshadow Mr. Trump’s reaction if Democrats win control of the House on Tuesday. After he lost the popular vote in 2016, he explained it away by asserting, without any foundation, that three million illegal immigrants voted, which he said made the difference. But the claim was widely rejected in both parties, and his promise to investigate and prove it fizzled.
As he flew to the Midwest on Monday, Mr. Trump still hoped to reproduce the stunning upset that embarrassed prognosticators in 2016. But even if he fails at holding onto the House, he expects to hang onto the slim Republican majority in the Senate and perhaps even build on it. If Democrats do take the House and Republicans hold the Senate, Mr. Trump will almost certainly claim victory out of the split decision, saying he defied the odds once again.
But a divided Congress would present a profound challenge to his presidency for the last two years of his term, making the prospect of major legislation even more distant and opening a period of partisan warfare led by subpoena-powered Democratic committee leaders intent on investigating everything from his taxes to Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.
[Meet the Democratic leaders whose House committees could torment President Trump.][Meet the Democratic leaders whose House committees could torment President Trump.]
For his last campaign swing of this cycle, Mr. Trump headed first to Cleveland, where an intense governor’s race will decide which party controls state government in a place Mr. Trump must win if he hopes to secure a second term in two years. Mr. Trump has generated overflow crowds of red-hatted supporters wherever he has gone in these final days, drawing energy from their adulation as he exhorted them up to head to the polls. His thundering warnings about “left-wing mobs” and a migrant “invasion” have inflamed the passions of a country, energizing conservatives he hopes to mobilize to hang onto control of Congress while exasperating opponents who accuse him of fear-mongering and demagogy.
From there, he flew to Fort Wayne, Ind., where Republicans have hopes of knocking off a Democratic senator, Joe Donnelly. And he was to end his day with a late-night rally in Cape Girardeau, on behalf of the Republican Josh Hawley’s efforts to defeat Senator Claire McCaskill. The president spent Monday barnstorming the Midwest on behalf of allies in close races, drawing loud and enthusiastic crowds of thousands. At rallies in Cleveland, Fort Wayne, Ind., and finally here in Cape Girardeau, Mo., his remarks were laced with his usual, acerbic attacks on his adversaries — “radical,” “left-wing socialists,” “corrupt,” “the Democrat mob” — and accusations that Democrats would raise taxes, destroy Medicare and enact a socialist takeover of the American health care system.
In addition to Mr. Limbaugh, Mr. Trump’s campaign initially announced on Sunday that Sean Hannity, his friend and Fox News host, would also appear with the president. But Mr. Hannity denied that on Monday, saying he would only be interviewing Mr. Trump and covering the rally. “To be clear, I will not be on stage campaigning with the President,” Mr. Hannity tweeted. But he again reserved his most vitriolic language for immigration, repeatedly prompting loud boos as he warned that if Democrats win, they would invite murderers to come into the United States to kill men, women and children.
Even before leaving the White House, Mr. Trump used Twitter to cheer on select Republican allies and trash-talk some favorite Democratic targets. He previewed his evening attack on Ms. McCaskill. “No matter what she says, Senator Claire McCaskill will always vote against us and the Great State of Missouri!” he tweeted. “Democrats are inviting caravan after caravan, illegal immigrants to flood into our country,” Mr. Trump boomed. He falsely said that Democrats want to give health care benefits to undocumented immigrants and are openly encouraging undocumented immigrants to vote.
He also went after Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, whom he called “an automatic far left vote, controlled by her bosses,” and Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for governor in Florida, who he said would make that state “a crime ridden, overtaxed mess.” The president also posted endorsements of Republicans like Representative Claudia Tenney of New York and Dana Rohrabacher of California, whom he called “respected by all.” Led by President Barack Obama, who has attacked his successor in a more systematic way than any former president in decades, Democrats sought to make the vote a choice not just on immigration, health care and other issues, but a test of the nation’s values.
“The character of this country is on the ballot,” Mr. Obama, his voice hoarse from days of campaigning, said during an appearance on Monday in Virginia on behalf of Senator Tim Kaine and Jennifer Wexton, a top House prospect.
“Who we are is on the ballot,” Mr. Obama said. “What kind of politics we expect is on the ballot. How we conduct ourselves in public life is on the ballot. How we treat other people is on the ballot.”
Other presidents have waged fierce campaigns during midterm elections, often demonizing the other side. When he was in office, Mr. Obama painted Republicans as zealots ready to sacrifice Medicare, education and other priorities on the alter of tax cuts for the rich. George W. Bush accused Democrats of being willing to wave the white flag of surrender to terrorists.
But Mr. Trump has gone even further, not only taking on individual Democratic officeholders by name, which most presidents avoid, but ridiculing them and insulting them with playground-style taunts. Describing himself as a “nationalist,” Mr. Trump has vilified immigrants, both legal and illegal, in racially charged language that was once considered unacceptable in national politics.
“What you didn’t have” in past midterms “was a systematic and very personally addressed series of attacks and very inflammatory and frankly untrue images and arguments being used,” said Anita Dunn, a Democratic consultant working on races in Ohio and elsewhere. “What’s most interesting about it of course is it is in many ways a strategy that is designed to exacerbate his biggest negatives.”
Democratic strategists were hoping it would backfire. “The president’s campaign efforts over the last two weeks should be counted as an in-kind contribution to the Democratic Party,” said Guy Cecil, the chairman of Priorities USA, a Democratic “super PAC.” “Instead of allaying the fears of many suburban and exurban voters, he confirmed everything that Democrats have been saying about him for two years at the same time he was motivating our base.”
But Mr. Trump’s supporters cheered him on, embracing a leader they said was finally taking on the cosseted elites and guarding the country against outsiders. Advisers to the president said his foes take his campaign rally language too literally; as outrageous as it might seem, it is more entertainment, intended to generate a crowd reaction.
“The challenge for Republicans in a midterm election when you control everything is a lot of your voters are complacent,” said Marc Short, a former White House legislative director under Mr. Trump. “Trump has the challenge of how do I get my people who maybe don’t love Republicans in Congress to turn out. There’s evidence to show that he’s making progress in that.”
Asked by reporters on Monday if the elections were turning as much on his style of leadership as anything else, the president said, “I don’t think so, but, I mean, I’m willing to accept that.”
He made no effort to distance himself from the harshness of his campaign, including an advertisement it produced that was deemed too racist to run by several networks, including his favorite, Fox News. “A lot of things are offensive,” Mr. Trump said. “Your questions are offensive a lot of times.”
In an interview released later in the day, however, Mr. Trump expressed some regret for the tenor of his two years in office. “I would like to have a much softer tone,” he told Sinclair Broadcasting, attributing his style to a desire to get things done.
He suggested he could change after the midterm. “I would love to get along, and I think after the election, a lot of things can happen,” he said. “But right now they are in their mode and we are in our mode. And you know, if you’re criticized, you have to hit back, or you should.”
But Mr. Trump used the final day of the campaign to raise the possibility of voter fraud. “Law Enforcement has been strongly notified to watch closely for any ILLEGAL VOTING which may take place in Tuesday’s Election (or Early Voting),” he wrote on Twitter. “Anyone caught will be subject to the Maximum Criminal Penalties allowed by law.”
The president offered no basis for suggesting large-scale fraud was likely. “There are a lot of people, a lot of people, in my opinion and based on proof, that try and get in illegally and actually vote illegally,” he said.
The invocation of voter fraud could foreshadow Mr. Trump’s reaction if Democrats win the House. After he lost the popular vote in 2016, he explained it away by asserting, without any foundation, that three million illegal immigrants voted.
For his last campaign swing of this cycle, Mr. Trump headed to Cleveland, where an intense governor’s race will decide which party controls state government in a place Mr. Trump must win if he hopes to secure a second term in two years. From there, he flew to Fort Wayne, where Republicans hope to knock off a Democratic senator, Joe Donnelly. He was to end his day with a late-night rally in Cape Girardeau on behalf of the Republican Josh Hawley’s efforts to defeat Senator Claire McCaskill.
Underscoring the emphasis on his conservative base, Mr. Trump was to be joined at his last rally by the radio host Rush Limbaugh, who was born and raised in Cape Girardeau. Mr. Limbaugh’s family is such a fixture here that the courthouse is named for his grandfather and tourists are offered a self-driving tour of the broadcaster’s childhood home, school and first radio station.
“There is a great electricity in the air,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t know if you report it that way, but there is a great electricity in the air like we haven’t seen, in my opinion, since the ’16 election. So something’s happening.”
Speaking with reporters before leaving Washington, he acknowledged that he is planning a shake-up after the election. “Administrations make changes usually after midterms, and probably we’ll be right in that category, too,” he told the reporters. “I think it’s very customary.” He added that, “for the most part, I love my cabinet.”