Trump campaigns for Kris Kobach in Topeka
President Donald Trump held a campaign rally Saturday in front of a crowd of some 11,000 people at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.
A few hours before the rally began, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
This gave Trump the chance to flaunt his achievement publicly for the first time. Within the first 30 minutes of the rally, Trump took to praising Kavanaugh, calling him a “man of great character and intellect” who will be a “constitutional conservative” on the court.
Trump urged Kansans to rally behind and vote for Republican candidates. He then took aim at Democrats, calling them “an angry, left-wing mob” for their actions during the nomination process of Judge Kavanaugh.
At one point, Trump likened the prospect of Democrats taking control of Congress to “handing a box of matches to an arsonist.” He discussed a broad range of topics during the rally — including North Korea, the economy, immigration, unemployment, Iran, ISIS, and, most frequently, the upcoming midterm elections.
Trump then went on to introduce Republican gubernatorial candidate and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Kobach shared the stage with Trump and gave a speech about his vision as governor. Kobach mostly talked about immigration and his plan to cap property appraisal taxes in Kansas.
Next came Second Congressional District Republican candidate Steve Watkins, who also gave a speech on stage with Trump. Watkins talked about the courts, his upbringing, and his military experience in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Trump called out both Kansas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Laura Kelly and Second Congressional District Democratic candidate Paul Davis, the challengers to Kobach and Watkins.
Trump took aim at Kelly, mentioning her F rating from the National Rifle Association.
“I assume that means that she’s not too big on the 2nd Amendment.” Trump said.
He then attacked Davis on his voting record in the state legislature — saying his votes increased state taxes for Kansans during his time serving in Topeka.