Trump launches 32-day campaign tour ahead of the midterms: “You love me and I love you”

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said on Tuesday that he is embarking on a 32-day campaign tour ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, putting himself and his record at the center of the Republicans’ battle to keep Congress. Trump addressed reporters outside the White House, alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, declaring: “You love me and I love you”.

The tour’s first stops this week include Texas and Ohio, as Reuters reports. Polls show Democrats poised to make gains, at a time when Americans are worried about high gasoline prices and the ongoing war with Iran. With this campaign offensive, Trump seeks to energize his electoral base and defend the Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress.

The campaign’s intensity comes later than the president’s advisers had predicted, but Trump is expected to be the central figure of the Republican effort in the coming weeks. According to Reuters, his staff sees the president’s presence on the ground as the key factor in mobilizing voters and financing the toughest races.

The November 3 elections will decide control of the House of Representatives and the Senate — and with it, the fate of the last two years of Trump’s presidency. At stake is not only the balance of power in Washington, but also the president’s capacity to advance his legislative agenda in the second half of his term.