Trump campaigns for Kentucky governor
President attacks political foes during pre-election speech
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Pushing to help a Republican governor hold onto his office, President Donald Trump barnstormed for Gov. Matt Bevin of Kentucky on Monday, delivering a raucous election eve rally in which he delivered a series of stinging attacks on Democrats and the impeachment inquiry that is imperiling his presidency.
The campaign finale at Rupp Arena in Lexington reinforced one of Bevin’s main themes throughout his bitter, closely fought reelection campaign — his alliance with Trump, whose popularity eclipses the governor’s in the Bluegrass State. Trump praised
Bevin and linked the governor’s contest against Democrat Andy Beshear, the state’s attorney general, with his own battle against possible impeachment, saying a victory in Kentucky would signal the rise of “an angry majority that will vote the do-nothing Democrats the hell out of office.”
“We are sending a signal to the rest of the country, to the rest of the world what the Republican party stands for,” said Trump. “While we are creating jobs and killing terrorists the radical Democrats are going totally insane.”
“Bashier doesn’t represent you, he represents the Washington swamp and represents the same people who are trying to overthrow the last election,” declared Trump, before adding of Bevin, “He’s such a pain in the ass, but that’s what you want.”
If Bevin loses, Trump said, “they will say Trump suffered the greatest defeat ever. You can’t let that happen to me!”
As he so often does, Trump turned the rally meant for a fellow Republican into a venue to air his own grievances against a litany of familiar foes, including the news media and the House Democrats who voted last week to open an impeachment inquiry into the president’s push for Ukraine to investigate one of his political foes, former Vice President Joe Biden.
“With last week’s vote, the Democrats have declared war on democracy itself,” Trump declared. “In their crazed thirst for power, the Democrats are trying to tear our country apart.”
The impeachment inquiry also loomed large for many in the packed arena: A few dozen supporters seated directly behind the president wore matching “Read the transcript” t-shirts, echoing Trump’s claim that the memo released by the White House of his call with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskiy showed he did nothing wrong.
Democrats believe the memo shows evidence of a quid pro quo in which Trump offered military aid to Ukraine in exchange for the probe into Biden and his family.
Trump supporters packed Rupp Arena, the famed home of the University of Kentucky basketball team, and roared when Trump saluted Bevin. Beshear, meanwhile, spent the day campaigning in western Kentucky and, despite Trump’s presence, focused on state issues.
The challenger stuck to his themes of improving public schools, creating better-paying jobs and protecting health care and public pensions. Beshear planned to finish the day with an evening rally in Louisville, a Democratic stronghold where he needs a big turnout.
“People try to distract us with national issues and get us thinking about things other than our wellbeing,” Beshear said in a Monday radio interview on WKDZ. “Our families should be doing so much better. And I’m going to make sure they do.”
The bitter Kentucky contest is being watched closely for early signs of how the increasingly partisan impeachment furor in Washington might affect Trump and other Republican incumbents in 2020.