On Monday, Oct. 19, President Donald Trump visited Kansas in support of Senator Roger Marshall. Marshall is facing a tough midterm election race against the Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton.
One of President Trump’s key points was his endorsement of Marshall. He supported Marshall’s reelection while also defending his record on medical debt during his remarks. President Trump said that Marshall was mandated by law to sue his patients, a claim fact-checkers have found to be untrue. While defending Marshall, Trump also used a slur drawing on an antisemitic stereotype associating Jewish people with money, saying that Marshall was not that type of person.
Another key point was Trump’s criticism of candidate Adam Hamilton for his views on immigration and gender. President Trump said that Hamilton supports “flooding Kansas with unvetted refugees who go around killing people.” He also said that Hamilton used church funds to help transgender people and was “mocking Jesus.”
Besides endorsing Marshall, President Trump also introduced a “Harvest Fuel Relief” program. He claimed that the program would offset high diesel fuel prices for farmers. This program would function similarly to Farmer Bridge Assistance, which was implemented earlier this year to account for the drop in aggregate crop receipts. The Harvest Fuel Relief program would help farmers cover diesel expenses during the busy harvest season.
President Trump also reversed his decision to ban Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier from doing business in the United States unless it moved its manufacturing operations there. Trump stated that since Bombardier employs 1,500 people in Wichita, he would protect the company from the ban and allow it to manufacture parts outside of the United States.
There were several protesters at the rally as well. Five people heckled President Trump at the event during his speech, and he claimed they were “paid protesters.” One woman was arrested for failing to comply with directions from a police officer directing traffic. The other person arrested was a young man accused of threatening to assassinate the president. He allegedly made comments on local Facebook pages claiming he had ammunition and routes mapped out on nearby rooftops.
With the Nov. 3 election approaching, there will likely be more rallies such as this one. These rallies can encourage people to go out and vote.