Trump Pushes Ohio Midterm Turnout With ‘Golden Age’ Message

President Donald Trump used a Saturday night rally outside Dayton to argue that Ohio is benefiting from what he described as a new American “golden age,” while urging voters to help Republicans hold power in the November midterm elections. Appearing for the third time in as many nights, Trump campaigned for Sen. Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, framing the election as a test of whether voters want to continue the direction he says Republicans have set since his return to the White House.

With his own name not appearing on the ballot, Trump delivered a straightforward appeal to supporters. He asked voters to act as though he were running himself, saying that when he runs, Republicans win. He returned to that message later in the speech, again telling attendees to imagine he was on the ballot and to turn out for a midterm victory that would keep the GOP in control of Congress.

Much of Trump’s speech centered on the economy. He said Ohio is “booming” and pointed to several major investments that he credited to his trade and tariff policies. Among the projects he highlighted were a $400 million Stellantis investment in Toledo and an $850 million Electra aerospace investment near Springfield. He also spotlighted Bayer’s planned $2.2 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing campus near Columbus, a project the company says will create about 600 permanent jobs and 1,500 construction jobs.

Trump argued that tariffs are helping level the playing field for American industry after years in which other countries imposed barriers on U.S. goods. He said those policies are giving companies a strong reason to build and expand in the United States rather than overseas. Extending that argument, he praised Ohio’s economic momentum and said similar gains are being felt across the country.

Energy costs and data centers

The president also endorsed Husted’s Ratepayer Protection Act, a measure intended to protect consumers from added electricity costs tied to data centers. Trump said he supports bringing data centers to Ohio because of the economic opportunity they represent, but argued that residents should not be left covering extra costs. Husted had brought the bill to the Senate floor days before the rally, where it failed to advance. Trump said that if Congress sends the measure to his desk, he will sign it immediately.

From there, Trump widened his focus beyond Ohio, pointing to stock market records, manufacturing growth, investment and employment as evidence that the country is performing strongly under his administration. He contrasted that record with former President Joe Biden’s tenure and praised Republican-backed tax policies, including no tax on tips and overtime. He also repeated his proposal for $5,000 payments to adult Americans if Republicans keep both the House and Senate.

Immigration, Springfield and the midterm message

Trump later shifted to immigration, singling out Springfield, Ohio, which drew national attention during the 2024 campaign over an influx of Haitian nationals. He dedicated his recitation of “The Snake” to Springfield, saying the city had been through a difficult period. After finishing the poem, which he has often used as an immigration allegory, Trump said it reflected what happened at the border before praising his administration’s immigration crackdown.

He also briefly mentioned Venezuela, claiming the United States had recouped the cost of its military operation against former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro through access to the country’s oil resources.

Throughout the rally, Trump repeatedly returned to the election, noting that voting day is 31 days away. He urged Ohioans to support Husted, Ramaswamy and Republican congressional candidates, and added another pitch aimed at the state’s future: the possibility of becoming home to a U.S. National Space Academy. Citing Ohio’s aviation legacy and the Wright brothers, Trump said a Republican midterm win would strengthen the state’s chances.