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President Donald Trump has openly acknowledged that he expects to shoulder the blame if Republicans perform poorly in the upcoming midterm congressional elections. Speaking at a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday, Trump told supporters that a poor result would fall on him — but that credit for a victory would likely go elsewhere.
“If we don’t win the midterms, they’re going to blame me,” Trump said. “And if we do win them, I will get no credit whatsoever.” He then urged the crowd to vote, adding, “I’m working my ass off. You better get out there and vote.”
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Trump Braces for a Difficult Election Environment
A person familiar with the matter described Trump as being in “grind it out mode” ahead of the November 3 elections. He is reportedly prepared for a worst-case outcome. Historically, midterm elections tend to punish the sitting president’s party, and Trump’s current approval ratings are not helping Republican prospects.
According to an NBC News average of polls, only 38% of Americans approve of Trump’s performance in office. Meanwhile, 59% disapprove. Despite those numbers, Trump is working to motivate core supporters who might otherwise stay home on election day.
To encourage turnout, Trump is also offering voters a financial incentive. He closed his hour-and-a-half speech by reminding the crowd that “with your vote on November 3rd, you’ll get $5,000.” That refers to a direct payment he has promised to send adults if Republicans retain their majority in the House and Senate. The total cost of that pledge is estimated at $1.3 trillion.
A Busy Campaign Schedule Across Multiple States
Trump has maintained a demanding travel schedule as the elections approach. Tennessee marked his seventh state visit since the start of October. He had also planned to travel to Alabama later that day to attend the Georgia-Alabama football game. However, he canceled that trip due to Hurricane Isaias.
At the rally, Trump pushed back against the idea that his popularity has declined. Earlier on Saturday, he posted on social media calling that notion a “false narrative.” On stage, he played a CNN clip showing near-unanimous support among his MAGA base, with no significant drop since the 2024 elections. Notably, CNN is one of three news outlets that the Trump administration banned from White House grounds last month.
“I’m very popular, I really am,” Trump told the crowd.
Why Tennessee? Trump Explains His Reasoning
Some observers questioned why Trump chose to rally in a deep-red state where Republicans are already expected to win comfortably. The event took place in an indoor arena in a northern Tennessee county that Trump carried by 18 percentage points in the 2024 presidential race. Republicans are broadly expected to sweep the state’s House and Senate contests.
Trump himself acknowledged the apparent logic gap. “These guys are all going to win,” he said of the state’s congressional candidates. “So, I’m saying, ‘What the hell am I doing in Tennessee?'” He then answered his own question, saying he wanted to “reward the places that have automatically treated you well.” Trump won Tennessee in all three of his presidential campaigns.
Other Republicans defended the visit as a smart use of his time. Representative Tim Burchett, a Tennessee Republican, said Trump’s presence energizes the party faithful. “It rallies the base,” Burchett said in an interview before Trump took the stage. “And that’s really what we’ve got to see in a midterm election. That’s what you’ve got to have: the base.”
Accomplishments, Landmarks and a Proposed Ocean Rename
Much of Trump’s address focused on what he considers his major achievements. He cited a rise in median household income during his first year in office and a decline in the national poverty rate.
In a lighter moment, Trump also mused about renaming one of the world’s major oceans in his honor. “We call it, ‘Trump Ocean.’ Or, ‘Ocean of the Americas,’ something like that,” he said. He added, apparently in jest, “We should have before I get out, I think we should have an ocean and we need a great river.” The remark drew attention as another example of Trump’s well-documented interest in attaching his name to American landmarks and institutions.
