“Two years ago we were a great nation and we will be a great nation again. Not to detract from tomorrow’s very important even critical election… I will make a very big announcement on Tuesday November 15th at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach,” Trump said of a third presidential campaign.
Former President Donald Trump has been heavily involved in the midterm elections, supporting GOP candidates in the primary and general races. (REUTERS/Emily Elconin)
Trump has hinted for more than a year that he’s interested in a third term in the White House and has begun to ratchet up his language recently as a potential announcement nears. Many Republicans wanted Trump to wait until at least the midterm elections, and the former president now appears poised to do just that.
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He followed his comments in a Nov. 15 announcement by reading off a slate of GOP candidates for voters to choose from in the midterms.
Trump also avoided cornering other Republicans. As he ran through various poll numbers on the big screen at the rally, Trump did not call Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis “Ron DeSantimonio” as he did at a recent rally. Instead, he endorsed DeSantis for re-election as Florida governor.
As the screen scrolled through various polls in states including Nevada, Ohio, North Carolina and Kansas that show Trump leading, Trump also said there are “a lot of good people” in the likely Democratic field.
Former President Donald Trump’s plane arrives at a rally in Dayton, Ohio on November 7, 2022. (Brooke Singman/Fox News)
Trump also spent significant time attacking Democratic Ohio Senate candidate Tim Ryan of Ohio and boosting his GOP challenger JD Vance.
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Trump hit many of the same talking points highlighted by Republican candidates in 2022, including inflation, immigration and crime.
“Inflation should never have happened,” Trump told a raucous crowd. “Forget about buying a turkey for Thanksgiving. Has anyone bought a turkey for Thanksgiving yet? Because if you haven’t, don’t even waste your time.”
Trump added: “Number one, you probably won’t get it. And if you do, you’re going to pay about three times what you did.”
Former President Donald Trump did not repeat his “Ron DeSanctimonious” insult about Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis on Monday. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
“Under radical left-wing Democrats, the streets of our cities are ruled by bloodthirsty gangs and violent criminals,” the former president said, as he hit out at foreign countries’ “speedy trials” for drug traffickers.
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“Instead of doubling the number of IRS agents, we should be doubling the number of ICE and Border Patrol agents,” the former president said.
The former president has been heavily involved in the midterms, lending his support to Republican candidates across the nation. During the primaries, the majority of candidates Trump endorsed were winners, becoming the GOP nominees in their races.
Trump also broke from the midterm script and revisited many of the topics typical of his rallies. Trump criticized former Attorney General Bill Barr for not backing up his false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged and criticized former Vice President Mike Pence for not throwing out the electoral votes.
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He also railed against “impeachment hoax number one” and “impeachment hoax number two” and raged about the various criminal and civil investigations against him.
But the speech could set the stage for Trump to take credit for a successful election day for Republicans, just ahead of his “big announcement” next week.
“This is the year we’re going to take back the House. We’re going to take back the Senate. And we’re going to take back America. And in 2024 most importantly, we’re going to take back our wonderful White House,” Trump said.
Tyler Olson is a reporter covering the Senate for Fox News Digital.