US President Donald Trump has intensified his warnings against a Democratic victory in the November midterm elections, invoking riots in France to portray opposition control of Congress as a threat to American security, culture and national identity.
Trump issued the warning on Monday at a campaign rally in Kansas, where he campaigned for Republican Senator Roger Marshall, whose re-election bid has become unexpectedly competitive in the traditionally Republican state.
According to CNN, Trump told supporters that the unrest in France offered a glimpse of what could happen in the United States if Democrats gained power, accusing the opposition of threatening the country’s values and achievements.
“When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Democrats want to do to America,” he said.
The president urged voters to return Republicans to Congress, presenting the election as a choice between what he described as America’s “golden age” and a future under radical Democrats.
Trump’s intervention in Kansas underscores Republican concerns about a midterm election cycle in which several races previously considered safe for the party have become competitive.
Marshall is facing Democratic challenger Rev. Adam Hamilton, a pastor seeking to win a Senate seat that no Democrat has held since 1932, according to CNN.
Trump dismissed concerns about the Republican incumbent’s prospects, describing the polls as fake and insisting that Marshall remained the candidate capable of preventing Democrats from taking control of the Senate.
The president also attacked Hamilton, questioning whether the Democratic candidate’s views and conduct reflected those of a pastor.
But economic concerns are emerging as a major challenge for Republicans, with some Kansas voters telling CNN that rising prices for fuel, groceries and other necessities are influencing their choices.
One voter, Haley Brozek, said lowering prices was her biggest concern, adding that the cost of providing for her children had become increasingly difficult.
Sedgwick County Commissioner Jim Howell, a Republican, also acknowledged that voters were feeling the economic pressure, warning that dissatisfaction could affect candidates further down the ballot.
CNN reported that the president’s approval rating stood at 34 per cent among US adults, while 65 per cent disapproved, based on its latest Poll of Polls average.
The political pressure extends beyond Kansas. Early in-person voting began in Texas on Monday, where Democrats are seeking a breakthrough in a state that has not elected a Democratic US senator since 1994.
Trump is scheduled to campaign for Republican candidates in several other states as the November elections approach.
His Kansas appearance reflects the growing importance of presidential campaigning in closely contested races, even in states traditionally considered Republican strongholds.
With voters weighing economic pressures against competing political messages, the outcome of the midterms could determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress or Democrats gain the power to challenge Trump’s legislative agenda.
