Former President Donald Trump addressed approximately 8,000 supporters at the Mitchell Center on the University of South Alabama’s campus in Mobile Friday night, urging them to vote in November as if he were on the ballot. Trump, on his second stop in a month-long national campaign for Republican congressional candidates, asked the crowd to "pretend I’m on the ballot."
Supporters began lining up hours before doors opened to the Mitchell Center, which was roughly 75 percent full when Trump took the stage. Trump stated he traveled to Alabama, and plans to visit other Republican states, to express his appreciation for those who have consistently supported him, noting, “Oklahoma and Alabama, I’m here to say hello.”
Alabama is rated as a Republican state. Mobile is located within Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, which the Cook Political Report rates as solidly Republican. The neighboring 2nd Congressional District, where incumbent U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, faces state Rep. Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, is considered more competitive.
Trump’s approval rating has seen a decline across the country and in Alabama since the beginning of the Iran war in February, which was followed by an increase in gas prices. The former president told attendees the war would conclude sometime after the midterms, stating, “They’re never going to have a nuclear weapon. As soon as it does end, oil prices will come tumbling down.”
During the event, Trump reiterated his endorsements for several Alabama Republican nominees. These included gubernatorial nominee and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who walked onto the stage to the song “Sweet Home Alabama.” Tuberville, a former football coach at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008, pledged to focus on workforce development as governor. He stated, “We’re going to use our hands. We’re going to teach people and our kids. We’re going to teach them education, and we’re going to teach them how to live a life, to do things with their hands and make decisions.” Trump also touted the Senate’s bipartisan passage of the Protect College Sports Act.
Additional endorsements included Jerry Carl for the 1st Congressional District, state Rep. Rhett Marques of Enterprise for the 2nd Congressional District, and U.S. Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise, the nominee to replace Tuberville in the Senate. Trump also endorsed John Wahl for lieutenant governor, Katherine Robertson for Alabama Attorney General, and Florida gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds. He acknowledged Republican U.S. Reps. Robert Aderholt of Haleyville, Dale Strong of Madison, and Gary Palmer of Hoover, stating he did not need to dedicate time to them because they were “so far ahead.”
Trump also doubled down on a promise made at a midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, last month, pledging to give every U.S. adult citizen $5,000 if Republicans hold the House and Senate. He added a caveat Friday evening that the money must be spent within the U.S. He referred to this as the “Trump dividend,” which he stated was approximately $1 trillion. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warned last month that such a plan would cost about $1.2 trillion and “explode” the nation’s deficit.
Throughout his 90-minute speech, Trump criticized Democrats, often calling them “dumocrats,” and promoted policies on economic development, immigration, and tax reductions. He also targeted the “fake news media,” which prompted boos from the crowd directed at the press pool. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones held a counter-event in Mobile Friday evening, accusing Trump of coming to Mobile to soothe his ego and claiming the former president was campaigning to have the Mobile Bay bridge named after him.
Rally attendees were not permitted to bring their own signs, but signs advocating themes such as “No Tax on Overtime,” “No Tax On Tips,” “No Tax on Social Security,” and “Lower Prices” were provided. Opening speakers, including Rhett Marques, urged attendees to vote Republican in November and to spread the message, asserting that Republicans win in Alabama if everyone votes.
Trump is expected to travel to Ohio over the weekend and Nebraska on Monday. He also announced plans to attend the football game between the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia in Tuscaloosa on October 10.
