Trump rallies in Republican stronghold Kentucky with midterms two weeks away

With midterm elections just over two weeks away, President Donald Trump traveled to Kentucky on Saturday — a reliably Republican state — to fire up the party's base and urge supporters to turn out for GOP candidates.

Speaking in Highland Heights in northern Kentucky, Trump called the upcoming vote "the most important midterm election in American history" and urged the crowd to cast their ballots for Republican candidates just as they would for him.

After listing what he described as the achievements of his return to office, Trump said the US Department of Defense would invest $100 million in a pharmaceutical facility in Winchester, Kentucky — but only if Republicans win the midterms. The conditional pledge of federal funding drew immediate scrutiny, as it ties a government spending commitment directly to an election outcome.

Kentucky has delivered lopsided margins for Trump in every presidential election he has entered, and Republican candidates are widely expected to win comfortably in the state's Senate race. Still, Trump made the trip to intensify enthusiasm among his base and drive up turnout.

The choice of venue also appeared calculated: by holding the rally in a region bordering battleground Ohio, Trump's team seemed to be counting on news coverage of the event to spill over into that state.

In Ohio, Republican incumbent Sen. Jon Husted is locked in a tight race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democratic candidate. A Democratic victory there would deal a significant blow to the party's effort to hold the Senate.

In his remarks, Trump ranged beyond Ohio, mentioning Texas and North Carolina as states at risk of flipping to Democrats, and implored supporters across the country to vote.

He also reaffirmed a campaign pledge to give every American citizen $5,000 if Republicans win the midterms, and warned his base that a Democratic victory could expose him to impeachment.

Trump again alleged, without evidence, that voter fraud was being carried out in some states. Some observers have raised concerns that if Republicans suffer a heavy defeat, Trump may refuse to accept the results by claiming the election was stolen.

Republicans currently hold slim majorities in both chambers of Congress, but anxiety within the party has been mounting over the prospect of losing not only the House but also the Senate to Democrats. In fact, even in traditionally safe Republican states such as Alaska and Texas, GOP candidates are facing competitive races for governor and Senate.