President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally supporting Republican House candidate Ed Gullane and Senate candidate Andy Barr at Turist Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on October 17, 2026.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
President Donald Trump held a rally in Kentucky on Saturday to boost Republican turnout as the party struggles in the midterm elections, touting his power in his second re-election to the White House and saying, “I can do incredible things.”
Trump, who was speaking in Highland Heights to boost House Republican candidates including Ed Gallane, was harping on his decision to change how the U.S. government refers to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
“I don’t think I could have done this in my first term. This is a stronger term,” Trump said. “Google wouldn’t have answered my calls at first. Now they’re kissing my ass.”
“Well, I also changed the name of the Canadian lake to American Lake,” he continued, referring to Lake Ontario.
Trump’s self-proclaimed power is colliding with voters’ dissatisfaction with how he has wielded that power, including rising prices due to tariffs, the Iran war, and a growing number of Americans who believe the president is looking out for his own interests rather than the country’s.
Trump remains in the lead with voters, even as Republicans privately worry about his liability, with control of both houses of Congress in jeopardy and a Democratic victory potentially leading to a Democratic-led investigation into his administration.
Mr. Trump has appointed one of his personal lawyers as attorney general, ordered a military strike on a suspected drug smuggling ship, tried to put his name on the Kennedy Center, and enriched himself and his family while in office.
Trump meandered through the conversation from the stage in Kentucky, touching on gas prices and saying the war with Iran would soon be over, something he has asserted many times during the nearly eight-month conflict, and that gas prices would be lower than before. The crowd cheered.
President Trump revisited his dubious promise to give every adult American $5,000 if Republicans win the House and Senate. It would likely cost more than $1 trillion, require congressional approval, and worsen the country’s roughly $1.8 trillion annual budget deficit.
At Saturday’s rally, President Trump added a new conditional pledge to Kentucky. He said if Republicans win, the Department of Defense would invest in revitalizing drug manufacturing facilities in the state.
