President Donald Trump is crisscrossing the campaign trail in the final days before the midterm elections, making stops in Texas, Ohio and South Carolina as Republicans fight to hold key seats.
Trump campaigned in Texas on Tuesday, where Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton is locked in a competitive race against Democrat James Talarico. While there, Trump also took time to talk about another prominent Texas Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz.
Trump joked that Cruz would be an easy choice to confirm if a seat opened on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I would pick Ted Cruz to be the next Supreme Court justice,” Trump said. “And I wouldn’t have to worry about, I wouldn’t even have to make a phone call.”
Trump went on to joke that Cruz would receive unanimous support for an unusual reason.
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“The Democrats will 100% vote for it because they hate the guy and they want to get rid of him,” Trump said. “And the Republicans would 100% vote for it because they can’t stand him. They would like to get rid of him. So I’d get 100% of the vote.”
Trump’s Texas appearance was part of a late campaign push aimed at turning out Republican voters ahead of Election Day. He also focused on energy policy, announcing a move to loosen methane rules for oil and gas producers. Trump said the change would save consumers and energy producers $45 billion and unlock an additional 210 million barrels of oil.
The president is scheduled to campaign Wednesday in Chillicothe, Ohio, marking his third visit to the state this month. Republicans are trying to defend a Senate seat against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is seeking a return to Washington.
Trump is then expected to turn his attention to South Carolina, where he plans to campaign Thursday in Rock Hill.
The traditionally Republican state has drawn increased attention after a New York Times poll showed the Senate race tied at 48% between Democrat Annie Andrews and Republican Sen. Darlene Graham.
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Trump also addressed the possibility of Republicans losing control of the House. Asked whether he would respect the results of the election, Trump said, “I will if they’re honest elections.”
Asked how he would work with Democrats if they took control of the House, Trump pointed to his veto power but also acknowledged that deals could be reached.
“You have strong veto and you end up working out deals,” Trump said.
