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Trump makes fourth Texas trip in two months
President Donald Trump returned to Texas on the 27th for two campaign rallies supporting Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton and other GOP candidates, marking his fourth visit to the state in two months as Republicans confront an unexpectedly competitive midterm election.
Trump appeared in the Gulf Coast port city of Corpus Christi before traveling to Lubbock in West Texas. Vice President JD Vance joined him, as did Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is frequently discussed as a potential future Republican presidential candidate.
Rubio briefly took the stage after Trump called him forward, telling the crowd it was an honor to work for what he called the greatest president in American history.
Venezuelan oil becomes a campaign backdrop
Near the Corpus Christi rally, an oil tanker carrying 1 million barrels of Venezuelan crude was docked at the Port of Corpus Christi. The shipment was the first delivered after the United States reached an agreement with Venezuela in August that gave Washington access to one-fifth of the country’s oil reserves, according to the account presented at the rally.
Trump described the oil as a “gift” from Venezuela and used the tanker to highlight his administration’s energy policy. “There’s a little ship over there,” he said. “That ship has 1 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, and we’re celebrating the greatest oil victory in history. To the victor belong the spoils.”
Trump also pointed to a January U.S. special operations mission that removed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power. He emphasized Venezuela’s oil wealth and said the country could become prosperous.
He then suggested Venezuela could eventually become part of the United States. “Maybe before too long, it will become the prosperous 51st state of the United States,” Trump said. “It’s possible. Let’s make Venezuela the 51st state. Then they’ll have an election for governor instead of president.”
Trump has previously called for Canada to become the 51st state and has continued to advocate bringing Greenland under U.S. control.
Paxton race tests Republican strength
The central purpose of the Texas trip was to campaign for Paxton, the MAGA-aligned Republican nominee. Trump directed much of his criticism at Democratic candidate James Talarico, calling him a communist and accusing him of supporting transgender rights and opposing oil drilling, a major Texas industry.
At the evening rally in Lubbock, Trump said it was unusual to hold two large campaign events in the same state on a single day. “To be exact, you have to like a candidate a lot to do it twice,” he said, warning that losing the election would be a disaster.
Trump also pledged to repeal methane regulations imposed under former President Joe Biden, claiming the move would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion. He repeated a convention announcement that Americans would receive $5,000 if Republicans won control of both the House and Senate. Critics have described the proposed “Trump dividend” as an attempt to buy votes.
Trump previously campaigned for Paxton in Denton on Oct. 1 and San Antonio on Oct. 7. He also held a Republican convention in Dallas last month that served as a kickoff for the midterm campaign.
Texas has long been considered reliably Republican, but it has emerged as a major battleground. Republicans pushed aside incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in favor of Paxton, who has struggled amid personal scandals and allegations of misconduct. A Democratic victory would represent a significant political setback for Trump and could expose him to blame within the Republican Party.
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