Trump Midterm Tour Brings Rhetoric and Senate Races Into Focus

President Donald Trump was scheduled to rally at Clemson University in South Carolina on Wednesday for appointed Sen. Darline Graham, as his midterm campaign tour continued alongside Senate debates in several states. Graham is seeking a full term against Democrat Annie Andrews after taking over the remainder of her late brother Sen. Lindsey Graham’s term. Trump endorsed her. She won the Republican nomination in a primary runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman by about five percentage points.

South Carolina wasn’t considered a battleground. Trump won the state in 2024 by nearly 18 percentage points. His visit was part of a series of campaign trips that included North Carolina the previous day, with Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Texas scheduled over the following days.

Campaign stops and contested races

Wednesday’s schedule also included Senate debates in Michigan and Kansas and a Wisconsin governor’s debate. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed was scheduled to face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in the final scheduled debate for the open Senate seat. The race was described as a top battleground, where Republicans hoped to flip the seat.

In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall was set to debate Democrat Adam Hamilton for a second time. The state was described as deeply Republican, though the Senate race had become competitive. In Wisconsin, Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany were scheduled to meet in their only planned debate. Wisconsin was described as a major swing state.

CNN reported that Trump’s campaign rhetoric had invoked fears of cultural and national collapse. At a Kansas rally on Monday, Trump said, “Americans are going to stand up and declare that we will protect our civilization, we will preserve our religion, our values and our heritage, and we will never let our nation be conquered or destroyed by people that hate us.” He also used an antisemitic slur.

Trump said Hamilton had told people to “repent because you were born White.” CNN described that as a misrepresentation of Hamilton’s broader comments on race, self-reflection and personal faith. Trump also questioned Hamilton’s standing as a religious leader in the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, saying, “He doesn't act like a pastor because his views aren't of a pastor.”

Rhetoric on race, religion and identity

Trump called El-Sayed, described as U.S.-born, a “jihadist,” repeating the insult Tuesday night in North Carolina. He also referred to El-Sayed as “Mohammed,” saying, “if you have any problem with names, just call the guy Mohammed. You'll probably be right.”

In Kansas, Trump used “Shylock,” an antisemitic slur, while defending Marshall against criticism over medical billing practices. CNN reported that Trump also used the term publicly in 2025.

At a rally in Arizona that month, Trump warned that a Democratic Congress would lead to children undergoing gender transitions at school without parental consent. “They want to mutilate, cut your children. It's unbelievable, what they do. ... Your son leaves as Jimmy and comes back home in three days as Janet, and they don't even ask you,” he said. CNN described the claims as baseless and said he repeated similar stories in Georgia the previous week and in North Carolina on Tuesday evening.

Trump also warned that unrest in France could spread to the United States if Democrats won, and said socialists and communists wanted to obliterate the republic. On Tuesday, he attacked Somali-born Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar and questioned whether she was entitled to constitutional rights because she came from what he called a “shithouse” country.

Campaign strategy and voter concerns

Vice President JD Vance made a related remark Monday, joking that a protester at one of his events must have crossed the border illegally to behave that way. CNN reported that Trump’s rhetoric coincided with visits to Republican-leaning states intended to increase conservative turnout and support vulnerable Republicans. CNN also noted that White House strategists hadn’t sent Trump that week to swing states with the closest races.

Mark Sanford, the Republican former governor of South Carolina, told CNN’s Erin Burnett that transgender issues wouldn’t address voters’ main concerns. “I think it's off-topic because the preponderance of folks that I talked to in and around South Carolina are worried about the economy, they're worried about affordability. They're worried about inflation,” Sanford said. He added, “I guess it's a way of changing the subject if what's going on isn't working for you ... but I don't see this as the issue that's going to move swing voters.”