President Donald Trump faced repeated protests and shrinking approval ratings during a San Antonio campaign rally on Wednesday, as he pushed to rally Texas voters behind Senate candidate Ken Paxton ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Trump Campaigns For Paxton As Republicans Spend In Texas
Republicans have devoted more than $300m to elections in Texas, according to the Associated Press. The contest is part of a Republican fight to hold onto the Senate majority, with the path running directly through Texas.
Paxton secured his nomination after Trump endorsed him in the state’s GOP primary over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, according to Roll Call reporting. Bexar County Republican Party Chairperson Kris Coons stated that local Republicans expect to fill the venue. The San Antonio Police Department and Bexar County Sheriff’s Office both provided security and traffic operations during the event at the coliseum.
Protesters Interrupt President Trump At Freeman Coliseum
At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted the U.S. president during his remarks at the Freeman Coliseum on Wednesday evening, with some led away by police, The Guardian reported. Trump briefly stepped away from the microphone after one interruption.
As hecklers disrupted the address, Trump resorted to mocking their appearance, claiming without evidence that they were paid. He’s going back home to mom,
Trump said as one demonstrator left. But what he doesn’t know is his mom voted for Trump.
When another heckler shouted, Trump lashed out with the remark, That guy’s got to lose a lot of weight,
before making a direct appeal to the crowd, according to Yahoo. If there are any more paid protesters, please raise your hand and get the hell out of here,
he told the audience.
Governor Abbott Skips Rally Amid Leaked Audio Friction
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott did not attend the evening rally, instead scheduling an appearance to attend the dedication of a hospital about 330 miles away, ABC News noted. Abbott is locked in a competitive reelection race against Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, and Democrats seized on his decision not to appear with Trump.
The friction follows leaked audio in which Paxton complained about the impact of campaign events, Roll Call reported. So to be honest with you, the numbers — when we did that convention — it dropped our numbers,
Paxton said in the recorded exchange.
Broader Campaign Context and Economic Concerns in San Antonio
San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones had requested a meeting with Trump to address what she termed an affordability crisis,
noting that the city is the third-most-impoverished big city in the country and pointing to high gas prices and grocery bills driven by federal policies, Texas Public Radio reported. During the rally, Trump turned his focus to attacking his opponent, repeatedly referring to the Democratic candidate as James Tala-freak-o.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump’s approval rating at 32%, while registered voters preferred Democrats to Republicans 44%-37%, The Guardian reported. A CNN Poll of Polls similarly pinned his approval at 34%, showing how economic pressures and foreign policy concerns are shaping the final weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.
How will the $300m in Republican spending and Trump’s Texas campaign impact the November 3 midterm elections?
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