After hours of waiting in line, some from before the sun rose until the moment President Donald Trump arrived, thousands of Mississippians showed up in Corinth on Monday to hear the commander-in-chief campaign for Republicans seeking election.
The Crossroads Arena, which seats just over 7,700, was packed with attendees, with some watching from the aisles and stairwells and thousands more following a video stream outside the building.
The rally opened with a prayer, followed by the pledge of allegiance, and then a rendition of the national anthem by country singer Darryl Worley. A who’s who of Mississippi Republican officeholders followed, taking turns stepping up to the podium to urge GOP voters to show up to the polls on Nov. 3.
“The critical, critical thing I want you to hear from me tonight is we’ve got to get out and vote,” said Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is in Mississippi’s most contentious race of the midterm cycle.
Hyde-Smith asked those in attendance to not only show up and vote for her but also fellow Republicans seeking office in Washington. That includes incumbent Reps. Trent Kelly (District 1), Michael Guest (District 3), and Mike Ezell (District 4). Republican Ron Eller is challenging longtime Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson in District 2.
“We are so blessed to have Trent Kelly on the ballot. I’m looking at Michael Guest here. He is the most wonderful man to work with over on the House side,” Hyde-Smith said. “Please turn out and vote for Michael Guest, [Kelly], and Mike Ezell, because the president needs Republicans to keep this positive momentum going.”
Others who spoke before Trump included state GOP chair Mike Hurst, Kelly, and Gov. Tate Reeves. Central to their speeches were protecting gun rights, ensuring abortion remains banned in Mississippi, keeping transgender athletes from participating in public-school sports, and further securing the southern border.
Then, after another performance by Worley and a brief intermission, a hype-video and loud cheers welcomed Trump to the stage.
Trump spoke for nearly an hour and a half, covering a range of topics during his second, nonconsecutive term, including the war with Iran, renaming the Gulf of Mexico, and renovation projects at the White House. When Trump discussed plans to build a new White House ballroom, a male protester interrupted by shouting. Trump told him to “go home” and accused him of being a paid protester before security escorted him out of the arena.
Throughout the speech, Trump periodically touted Mississippi Republicans and encouraged the crowd to vote for them.
“On Nov. 3, the people of this state need to tell the radical left ‘dumb-o-crats’ that Mississippi is not sending a (George) Soros communist to the Senate. You’re reelecting America-first patriot-hero Cindy Hyde-Smith,” Trump said, taking a shot at Hyde-Smith’s Democratic opponent, District Attorney Scott Colom.
“So, in this election, if you would, I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot, and the reason is that when I’m on the ballot, exactly 49% more people show up,” he asserted. “The problem is that when I’m not (on the ballot), they don’t show up as much. … You’re going to say, ‘Gee, I wish I’d shown up to vote.’”
Trump also pushed Mississippians to take part in “early voting,” though the state does not have no-excuse early voting. Those who are 65 or older, will be out of town on Election Day, or have to work during polling hours, among other reasons, are allowed to cast in-person absentee ballots up until noon on Oct. 31.
While Trump did speak highly of all Mississippi Republicans, Hyde-Smith was the main focus of his campaign pitch to local voters.
“Cindy Hyde-Smith is a fierce advocate and a friend of mine for a long time and for this state,” Trump said. “For many years, she has delivered funding for 360 projects across the state, totaling over $2 billion, and very few people have a record like that,” he said. “[Hyde-Smith] is also leading the Buying American Cotton Act to strengthen Mississippi cotton farms and to bring back textiles and bring them back in big numbers to the USA.”
As he has done throughout most stops on his national midterm blitz, Trump did bring up his party’s opposition, chief among them in Mississippi being Colom. The Columbus-based district attorney, who boasts a 94% conviction rate, held a press conference just miles away from the rally before spending time talking to Trump supporters standing in line.
Trump, though, contended that no matter what Colom does, Republicans need to ensure he remains out of federal power.
“Scott Colom is campaigning to give drug addicts taxpayer-funded welfare, free healthcare to illegal aliens, and he supports deadly sanctuary cities that release illegal alien criminals into your American communities,” Trump alleged. “Look, I don’t have to go into him. He’s a disaster. He wants to take your guns away. He wants to open your borders.”
Colom has spent time on the campaign trail with national Democrats like former Vice President Kamala Harris but has also attempted to garner crossover votes by voicing that he supports the Second Amendment and agrees that the border should be as secure as possible.
The president did not acknowledge the latter, though, and instead asserted that Hyde-Smith and other Republicans are focused on bettering the economy while Colom and other Democrats are caught up in issues like raising taxes, allowing gender-affirming care, and opening both the southern and northern borders.
“The choice is very simple in this election,” Trump said.
“You can vote for the radical left ‘dumb-o-crat’ communist who will loot your wealth, raise your taxes by $5 trillion, annihilate your borders, decimate Mississippi farms and factories, mutilate your children, and give 25 million illegal aliens amnesty and the right to vote,” he contended. “Or you can…vote more money in your pockets, bigger paychecks for your families, lower taxes, less crime, a booming Mississippi economy, and no amnesty for illegal aliens.”