Trump rallies for Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi: ‘You like me’
By Michael Goldberg | Originally published by Mississippi Today
CORINTH – President Donald Trump rallied for Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi on Monday, urging his supporters not to take chances by staying home and allowing a potential midterm upset in a state he won handily.
As Trump’s approval ratings have cratered amid backlash to soaring consumer prices and an unpopular war in Iran, Democrats have grown hopeful that their nominee in Mississippi, Scott Colom, might flip a seat in what has been a Republican stronghold. Both national parties are sinking money and resources into the race in the homestretch, and national Democratic players have filed into Mississippi to campaign for Colom.
Trump arrived in the state three days after his 2024 presidential campaign opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, hosted a rally for Colom in Columbus.
At Crossroads Arena in the rural northeast Mississippi town of Corinth, Trump told an energized crowd that he had taken notice of the state’s heated Senate race.
“I’m here because Cindy is doing great, but I just have to make sure,” Trump said. “I can’t take a chance.”
The event marks Trump’s first rally in Mississippi since 2019, when he came to Tupelo, a town just over 50 miles away whose name and location the president couldn’t remember on Monday.
“We did a rally in the north or the south, I don’t know where the hell it was,” Trump said.
Trump has won the state three times, but with the midterm elections eight days away, he acknowledged that Republicans could be in for a rough night. The president asked voters to pretend he was on the ballot, hoping to turn out his loyal supporters who don’t always bother to vote in non-presidential elections.
Hyde-Smith said she has fought to support Trump’s agenda and that voters face a binary choice between herself and an opponent she called “radical.”
“The control of the Senate is at stake on Nov. 3,” Hyde-Smith said. “I want you to send me back to be that fighter with the president.”
In a scattered speech that lasted just over 80 minutes, Trump called Colom, a district attorney in north Mississippi, a “Democrat communist” and accused him of being soft on crime and overly supportive of transgender rights. He called Hyde-Smith a “great friend” and “unbelievable, frankly.”
He said his administration has protected American jobs through tariffs, deported large numbers of immigrants and reduced crime. He also launched into commentary on Mississippi’s “beautiful women” and the allegedly poor state of the White House’s crown molding when he arrived back in office two years ago.
Trump was preceded on stage by Republican U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, Mississippi Republican Party Chairman Mike Hurst and Gov. Tate Reeves.
Reeves said Mississippi is faced with a choice between the rule of “conservative rural America” and the “socialist coast.” Other Republican officials in attendance included U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, Secretary of State Michael Watson, State Auditor Shad White and multiple state lawmakers.
According to many polls, Trump’s support has plummeted as prices have risen for essential goods such as groceries and gasoline. Colom has responded by labeling Hyde-Smith “Cindy High Prices” and has hammered her for advising Mississippians to “pick another protein” amid the rising cost of beef.
Hyde-Smith has responded by calling Colom a “transgender defender” and has said his campaign has been buoyed by liberal out-of-state donors such as billionaire George Soros.
In a statement ahead of the rally, the Democratic aligned Super PAC American Bridge 21st Century announced it had spent $2.1 million on Mississippi’s Senate race.
“Cindy Hyde-Smith is a weak candidate and one of the most hated GOP senators in Congress who is on record voting for legislation that has hurt her constituents,” said American Bridge 21st Century President Pat Dennis. “Mississippians want a Senator who will fight to lower their costs, not one who will vote to let beef prices soar, then shrug them off and suggest finding another protein.”
As Trump’s supporters lined up outside to get into the rally, many said rising costs across the economy have hit their pocketbooks hard. But they also said their support for Trump hadn’t wavered, citing potential long-term benefits of his policies.
Lori Lawson, the mayor of Burnsville, owns Subway franchises and a convenience store that sells gasoline and diesel. She said rising prices have hit everybody hard, but people are fixating too much on gas in particular.
“Yes, the price of gasoline has gone up, and it’s affected everybody,” Lawson said. “People want to complain about the price of gas and diesel, but they don’t have a problem giving $5 per gallon of water. That water doesn’t make anything go.”
Lawson came to the rally with Lance Heavener, a Burnsville city alderman who owns a lawn servicing company and a funeral home. He said rising prices have cost him an additional $58,000 this year to do business, but he was still willing to take the financial hit if it meant winning a war with Iran.
“If Trump can get those folks under control, I’m willing to bear the expense. I don’t know how long we can do it, but hopefully it’ll be short enough.”
Colom traveled to Corinth on Monday to hold a press conference before the rally. He criticized Hyde-Smith for refusing to debate him and campaigning with Trump instead.
“We’ve got a message we want to send to President Trump and our junior senator,” Colom said. “President Trump and our junior senator, they’ve been doing too much talking and not enough listening.”
In a possible overture to Trump’s base, Colom said Hyde-Smith hasn’t done enough to urge Trump to release the Epstein files, accusing her of being more willing to “protect pedophiles over people.”
After the press conference, Colom went to the Crossroads Arena, where he spoke with attendees outside waiting in line.
The vast majority of those who attended the rally showered Trump with praise and said they had no reservations about voting for Hyde-Smith.
On stage Monday, the president didn’t hesitate to highlight the adoration.
“You like me, I like you,” Trump told the crowd. “That’s just the way it is.”
Referring to his efforts to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, Trump also promised to never do the same with the Mississippi River, apparently because Mississippi is a Republican-led state.
“Boy that would be terrible. Can you imagine that,” Trump said. “I promise I will never change the name of the Mississippi. Cindy Hyde (Smith) and Roger (Wicker) would have a little problem with me if I did that.”
This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Source: Original Article
