BS BULLETIN:
- Trump told an Ohio rally that Republicans can defy the usual midterm pattern if his supporters turn out.
- He urged voters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” while campaigning for Sen. Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
- After pointing toward the press, Trump offered a considerably less delicate prediction about what Republicans are going to do to Democrats in November.
President Donald Trump has apparently decided that the best way to beat the traditional presidential midterm curse is to make voters forget it is a midterm.
Speaking Saturday night in Vandalia, Ohio, Trump urged supporters to turn out for Republicans as though his own name were appearing on their ballots.
“If you don’t mind, please pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump told the crowd.
Trump was campaigning for Republican Sen. Jon Husted and GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy as part of an increasingly aggressive midterm travel schedule.
Presidents historically tend to see their party lose congressional seats during midterm elections, something Trump himself acknowledged during his recent rallies.
But he insisted Republicans are headed for a surprise if his supporters actually show up.
“They’re in for a big surprise,” Trump said. “You gotta get out and vote.”
“If you do that, we’re gonna win and we’re gonna win big.”
Then Trump looked toward the press section.
The presidential language became somewhat less presidential.
“And we’re gonna shove it up their a–, okay?” Trump declared.
The crowd roared.
As for the line about what Republicans intend to “shove” where? William McKinley campaigned from his front porch. Franklin Roosevelt gave fireside chats. Ronald Reagan had the Great Communicator.
Donald Trump has apparently decided history was missing a few anatomical details. pic.twitter.com/GCSJ6e2XZJ
— thedailybs w/ Snerdley (@thedailybs_Bo) October 4, 2026
Trump had been accusing Democrats and the news media of presenting an overly pessimistic picture of Republican prospects heading into November.
He also singled out CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, continuing a long-running feud with one of the network’s most prominent White House reporters.
“She’s such an unhappy person,” Trump said.
“She’s a young, nice person, but she never smiles. She’s a very unhappy person.”
Trump also turned his attention to Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, whom he mocked as “Talafreako.”
The president seized on Talarico’s veganism and joked that the Democrat had suddenly discovered barbecue while campaigning in Texas.
“What they don’t show is he goes to the back of the tent every time and he’s throwing up all over the place,” Trump joked.
“He’s not for meat.”
Trump’s larger message, however, was directed at Republican voters who might otherwise sit out an election in which he is not personally on the ballot.
He made essentially the same argument Friday night in Alabama, where he acknowledged that Republicans historically have struggled to reproduce presidential-election turnout during midterms.
“When I’m not on the ballot, we don’t do well,” Trump said in Mobile.
His solution in Ohio was considerably simpler: Act like he is.
MY QUICK TAKE
Presidents have been trying to beat the midterm curse almost as long as America has had midterms.
Obama couldn’t do it in 2010. Clinton got buried in 1994. Reagan took his lumps in 1982.
Even Dwight Eisenhower watched Republicans lose both chambers in 1954.
The president’s party almost always discovers that voters who enthusiastically elected the guy at the top of the ticket do not automatically show up two years later for somebody whose name is halfway down the ballot.
Trump’s solution is uniquely Trump: Fine. Pretend my name is there.
There is actually some political logic behind the performance. Trump’s challenge isn’t convincing a rally crowd that it likes Trump. Judging by the noise in Vandalia, that research project appears complete.
It’s getting that crowd to care just as much about Jon Husted on a Tuesday in November.
As for the line about what Republicans intend to “shove” where? William McKinley campaigned from his front porch. Franklin Roosevelt gave fireside chats. Ronald Reagan had the Great Communicator.
Donald Trump has apparently decided history was missing a few anatomical details.
DBS WIRE SOURCES:
- Mediaite — Trump predicts Republicans will shock Democrats and calls Kaitlan Collins ‘unhappy’
- RealClearPolitics — Trump: ‘We’re going to win big’
- Associated Press — Trump rallies in Ohio for Jon Husted
- Roll Call Factbase — Trump rally transcript
