Trump boasts of 'golden age' as he pushes Ohio crowd to deliver GOP wins in midterms

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump fired up the crowd on Saturday, October 3, in Vandalia, Ohio, telling them that America is in its “golden age” and insisting Republicans would beat the odds in the tricky midterms. At the rally, he threw his support behind Sen Jon Husted and gubernatorial hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy.

The 80-year-old once again told the crowd to "just pretend that I’m running" when they vote in the midterms. "Because if we do and if we draw the people, we're gonna win... we're gonna win big," he asserted. 

"We wanna win the midterms. If we can, we want to win the midterms," Trump further said. 

An economic pitch built on investment and tariffs

Trump used much of the rally to make an economic case for the Republican ticket, declaring Ohio is "booming" as he hailed investments like $400 million from Stellantis in Toledo, an $850 million project from Electra aerospace near Springfield, and Bayer’s $2, which he credited to both his trade and tariff policies.

"Your state is booming," Trump told the gathered crowd. "Every state is booming."

The president also threw his support behind Husted’s Ratepayer Protection Act, legislation aimed at shielding consumers from additional electricity costs associated with data centers.

"We want them," Trump said of data centers. "There’s so much money to be made for Ohio. You can’t just turn them off. They’ll go to China."

Husted brought the legislation to the Senate floor days before the rally, where it failed to advance. President Trump pledged to sign it if Congress can send it to his desk.

A competitive race with national stakes

Trump, who won Ohio three times by comfortable margins, opened his speech with praise for both before moving into broader remarks to promote himself and his administration.

He also offered support for local Rep Mike Turner and for several House candidates in attendance, including Derek Merrin, the Republican running against longtime Democratic Rep Marcy Kaptur in Northwest Ohio.

Husted’s bid to keep the Senate seat, which he was appointed to after JD Vance was elected vice president, has in particular become a subject of concern among Republicans in Ohio and Washington.

In August, the National Republican Senatorial Committee warned in a memo that Husted’s past enthusiasm for building data centers was hurting his campaign.

Others have expressed worries that Husted, who has long wanted to be governor, has not put his full heart into the race.

"Our nation is doing better now than ever before," Trump said.

Trump then shifted to immigration and Springfield, Ohio, dedicating his recitation of the poem "The Snake" to the city that became a national flashpoint during the 2024 presidential campaign over an influx of Haitian nationals into the community.

"I dedicate this to Springfield, Ohio," Trump said. "They went through hell."