By Matthew Sotlar / The Jambar
With less than a month until midterm elections, President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail to lobby for Republican nominees across the country. He stopped in the Mahoning Valley to speak at the Covelli Centre on Oct. 12.
The Republican National Committee announced Oct. 5 that Trump would travel to Youngstown to give remarks alongside Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Bernie Moreno and senatorial nominee Jon Husted. Influencer and boxer Jake Paul and former National Football League coach Jon Gruden also attended as special guests.
Doors for the event opened at 3:30 p.m. as protestors were lined up outside the Mahoning County Courthouse and the Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on Market Street hours before, carrying signs and banners to protest the Trump administration.
Ramaswamy, an ally of Trump, Ramaswamy emphasized the importance of this year’s gubernatorial election and said he would uphold traditional conservative values if elected.
“This is probably the most important election for governor our state has ever seen in our history,” Ramaswamy said. “I will pledge it to you proudly and without apology. I will be the most conservative governor this state has ever seen in our history because we deserve it.”
Following Ramaswamy was Moreno, who defeated Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown in the 2024 midterms. Brown now runs against Husted in a race for Senate.
Moreno spoke in criticism of Brown’s views of immigration.
“Two years ago on the campaign trail, the No. 1 issue facing this country was the complete invasion at our border, millions of people coming across our border illegally,” Moreno said. “The media would say, ‘Sherrod Brown is for immigration reform.’”
Husted spoke following Moreno. He discussed perseverance with an added joke concerning an alleged conspiracy about ‘dead people’ voting in the 2020 election.
“Folks, send a message — we won’t be bullied or intimidated, will we?” Husted said. “In life, you get tired, and you get weary while life’s going on. My friend John Kennedy from Louisiana was in town this week, and he gave me a good piece of advice. No matter how tired you get, no
matter how much you don’t think you have the energy to go out and vote, remember this — if dead people can do it, you can too.”
Following a brief intermission, Trump took the stage. He spoke for over an hour and 20 minutes on a wide variety of topics, including Indigenous Peoples Day being known as Columbus Day, endorsements for Husted, Ramaswamy and Moreno, as well as border security, economic growth and the stances of Sherrod Brown and Amy Acton.
“Everyone here tonight is part of the greatest movement in the history of our country,” Trump said. “It’s the greatest movement ever. But as you see here today, it’s stronger than ever before. We are going around doing a rally a night. In the last week, I’ll probably be doing two or three a day. I don’t know why the hell I’m doing it, I’m not running, but I am running, and you’ve all got to promise me you’re gonna get out and vote.”
During the rally, three attendees were removed for alleged disturbances throughout the event. No charges were filed against them.
The midterm elections will be held Nov. 3, with 39 gubernatorial races and 33 Senate seats up for election in the U.S.
Editorial Note: Several members of The Jambar applied for media coverage for this event, all of whom were denied access.