‘Pretend I’m On the Ballot!’ Trump Puts Himself Front-and-Center in Midterm Plea to GOP Voters

President Donald Trump made a midterms appeal to Republicans as he expressed concern over the possibility of them not showing up to vote in full force in the midterms.

In a clip from an interview with Trey Gowdy that will air in full on Fox’s Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy, Trump told Republicans to “pretend” he’s on the ballot in midterm elections. He argued Republicans are more likely to show up and vote if he’s on the ballot.

Trump said:

There’s a theory that I get the vote. You know, I see it all the time, that when Trump’s on the ballot, they win. When he’s off the ballot then people don’t go to vote. And I’m asking the people through your brilliant show, number one show, I’m asking the people to get out and vote. Pretend I’m on the ballot. If they go out and they vote, we’re going to win. And if we don’t, our country’s going to be in sad shape because we’re going to go through a lot of things.

Fox News correspondent Madeleine Rivera played the clip from Gowdy’s interview on Thursday morning on Fox & Friends First. She preceded Trump’s appeal with a report on him headlining a fundraiser this week in Texas in support of Senate candidate Ken Paxton, who is running against Democrat candidate James Talarico.

“The GOP has won every Senate contest in the Lone Star state since 1990, but Democrats hope their challenger James Talarico can prevail because of Paxton’s scandals,” Rivera noted.

Talarico has been leading Paxton in polling, a shock to many critics in the reliably-red Texas. One poll this week found Talarico leading Paxton in three districts that Trump previously won.

Republican donors have reportedly been hesitant in giving money to Paxton, who has a history of ethics scandals and other controversies.

Watch above via Fox News.

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