Trump Rallies at the Port of Corpus Christi, Urging Texas Republicans to Vote and Praising Paxton in the Senate Race

President Donald Trump headlined a political rally at the Port of Corpus Christi on Tuesday, marking his second visit to the city this year, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times' live coverage. Trump has endorsed several Texas Republicans in the November midterms, including U.S. Senate nominee Ken Paxton, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and he was scheduled to visit Lubbock later the same day after traveling to Denton and San Antonio earlier this month.

Trump's speech lasted more than an hour and covered gas prices, tariffs, the armed forces and Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, but it frequently returned to urging voters to go to the polls, the Caller-Times reported. He frequently praised Paxton while referring to his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, by a nickname, and at one point suggested voters act as though he himself was on the ballot. He closed the speech by dancing to “Y.M.C.A.” as the crowd cheered.

Trump criticized Talarico over guns, energy and barbecue, saying, as reported by USA TODAY's Bart Jansen: “If you're running in Texas and if you don't like guns, and if you don't like meat and if you don't like oil, I think you should be losing by a lot.” Talarico has denied the accusation of being a vegan, has said he supports the Second Amendment while advocating keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous criminals, and has said he supports an “all of the above” energy strategy including renewables, according to the same coverage.

Trump opened the rally by pointing to a newly arrived ship carrying 1 million barrels of oil from Venezuela to the port, where it will be refined. Paxton, who spoke during the program before Trump, suggested he “could make the case that this may be President Trump's favorite city in Texas,” noting the number of visits. A handful of anti-Trump protesters gathered near the port, and Corpus Christi police scheduled road closures between noon and about 4 p.m., including the Harbor Bridge southbound, according to the Caller-Times. Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30, and Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.