Trump’s final campaign push leans on war profits and off‑script jokes
In the last days before the congressional election, Trump rallies in red states with a buoyant, digressive message that clashes with voter economic anxieties.
War profits become campaign talking points
At a rally in Georgia, Trump said his aides warned him not to brag about the billions of dollars the United States is earning on oil from the war in Iran, noting that Americans are “paying a little higher” in costs because of it. He replied, I don’t give a damn. We are making a freaking fortune. Our country is getting stronger and stronger all the time. And those pump prices are going to come down.
The comment highlights the gamble at the core of his final pitch, as polls show a majority of Americans unhappy with the economy while he paints a picture of national prosperity.
Rallies in red‑state strongholds
Instead of courting swing voters in battleground states, Trump spent his closing days campaigning in Mississippi, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina and Kansas—states that have long been Republican strongholds but where the party worries voters may stay home.
In Mississippi he told a crowd, “The world is falling apart, and we are doing better than we’ve ever done.” The next day in Texas he joked that the $5,000 he has promised Americans if Republicans win would not even buy a meal at his Mar‑a‑Lago club.
Democratic criticism and GOP response
Democrats called the remarks dismissive of voters’ concerns. Sen. Adam Schiff (D‑Calif.) said Trump’s boasting about war profits was a “fitting” slogan for his White House.
Republican National Committee chair Joe Gruters rejected the idea that the president has dismissed voters’ financial pain.
Financial backdrop
Trump’s personal oil and gas holdings are now estimated to be worth between $22.5 million and $81.6 million, up from $12.6 million to $46 million at the end of last year, according to a report released this week by congressional Democrats.
Tuesday’s election will test whether his upbeat, off‑script message still moves his base or has become a liability for a party fearing loss of Congress.
