WASHINGTON – At a midterm campaign rally last week in Greenville, North Carolina, President Donald Trump suddenly pivoted his remarks to Camp Lejeune, a Marine base in the state where thousands of veterans were exposed to water contamination over decades.
He touted his administration delivering $1 billion to veterans who sued the government. He then vowed to direct the Justice Department to settle all remaining claims.
But there's a catch: only if Republicans keep control of Congress.
"If we don't win, there's no money. If we do win, you're getting it. It's going to be finally over with, that nightmare that's been going on for so many years," Trump said.
During the president's weeks-long campaign blitz before the Nov. 3 election, Trump has conditioned
several major promises in battleground states on Republicans retaining their hold on the House and Senate. The unusual approach comes after Trump last month dangled $5,000 checks to all American adults if Republicans win the midterms ‒ an extraordinary offer that even some MAGA allies have criticized as a bribe for votes.
Trump, speaking at an Oct. 19 rally in Park City, Kansas, said his administration will allow the permanent year-round sale of gasoline with up to 15% ethanol ‒ which is banned over the summer by federal law ‒ if Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall defeats Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton.
"With Roger Marshall in the Senate, we will make year-round E15 permanent. But if Adam Hamilton is in, I'm not doing it," Trump said. "That's it. I'm only doing it for him. That's a big deal for Kansas, actually."
Notably, Republicans are worried about both North Carolina and Kansas as they work to stave off a Democratic takeover of the Senate. The GOP has largely pulled its funding from the Tar Heel State, an acknowledgement that retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis's seat is likely to be won by former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. And Kansas, which hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1932, has emerged as a toss-up.
In Kentucky, meanwhile, Trump on Oct. 17 announced that the Pentagon will pump $100 million into a drug manufacturing facility that a pharmaceutical company is planning in the state, but not if Democrats take over of one of the legislative chambers.
"You have to win, Andy, otherwise forget it," Trump said to Kentucky's Republican Senate nominee Andy Barr. "If the Republicans win, the Department of War will be investing $100 million in the pharmaceutical company Antheia to revitalize a gigantic drug manufacturing facility in Winchester, Kentucky."
The president added: "That's a big one. That's a big revitalization project. But if the Democrats win, it doesn't, because they wouldn't be able to do it. They wouldn't even know what you're talking about."
'Shameful to extort votes,' Democrat says
Less than a week away from the Nov. 3 election, Democrats have slammed Trump for effectively threatening to hold back federal government action that, in some cases, involves projects or undertakings that preceded Trump's White House term.
The Camp Lejeune Justice Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, allowed veterans and families harmed by the drinking water at the base to sue the federal government for compensation. The federal government is in the process of reviewing claims and delivering payouts.
"It is shameful to extort votes, especially from service members, and I found it be insulting and frustrating," Cooper said in response to Trump's remarks in an interview on MS NOW.
Regarding Anthea's planned pharmaceutical facility in Kentucky, the company has already received an $80 million loan from the Defense Department to support the project.
"If investments from the Department of Defense – or Trump’s 'Department of War' (DOW) – are conditioned on the outcome of an election, it’s time for the Department of Justice to investigate the DOW," Scottie Ellis, communications director for Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, said in a statement.
Jaelin O'Halloran, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, accused Trump of "offering empty promises, wielding threats, and attempting to buy the election" at the "eleventh hour" of a midterm defeat.
"But Americans know: When Trump promises a pay day, it never arrives," O'Halloran said.
In response to criticism about tying federal assistance to the midterm's outcome, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, “The only interest guiding President Trump’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people."
"President Trump is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress so he can continue to deliver on his winning, commonsense agenda," Ingle added in a statement.
Trump rallies feature a grab bag of announcements
As Trump crisscrosses the country in the homestretch of the midterms, he has also used his daily campaign rallies to announce economic development projects and federal investments he's steered to states ‒ though without mentioning the same requirement that Republicans retain control of Congress.
It's turned portions of Trump's lengthy speeches into something out of a game show, with Trump telling his audience what they've won.
"I'm also pleased to announce that the Department of War has officially selected the new home of the U.S. Submarine Component Repair Center ‒ a big deal that everybody wanted and it's going to be right here in Ohio," Trump said at an Oct. 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio.
Speaking in Kalispell, Montana, on Oct. 14, Trump told the crowd he's "pleased to inform you and announce" that the Pentagon will build a new "super range" in their state to test advanced weapons.
"Montana will help ensure the American military always reign supreme. So you're getting it, everybody," Trump said, then joked: "Will you please leave me alone?"
At the same rally in North Carolina when Trump made his commitments about Camp Lejeune, he also had a pair of other announcements for the Tar Heel State: plans for the quartz manufacturing company Sibelco to build a facility in the state, and a $1.5 billion Pentagon investment to help produce semiconductor chips in North Carolina.
"That's breaking news. You hear that, Ted?" Trump said, referring to Republican Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina. "Not bad. And actually, Ted pushed us hard on that one, right? Our country is doing so well under Republican leadership that only I can make this promise to you."
The president's steady rollout of projects ‒ which has evolved into a new announcement at each of his campaign stops ‒ comes as Trump has also turned to financial giveaways in an appeal to voters.
In the homestretch of the midterms, Trump has distributed $500 rebate checks to about 1 million Americans he said were overcharged through the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange for buying health insurance, and $90 to 21 million seniors by diverting funds from a Medicare improvement fund.
He's announced financial rewards to tipsters who help uncover fraud in government programs. And on Oct. 26, Trump said he will award $1 million to anyone who reports voter fraud in United States elections that results in an arrest or conviction. He did not specify where the funding would come from.
Most controversially, Trump has promised $5,000 dividend checks to all American adults if Republicans win control of Congress, though fulfilling the commitment would require action from Congress. At each of his rallies, Trump has reminded his supporters what's at stake if Republicans don't hold onto power in the midterms.
"If we lose, you get nothing," the president, discussing the dividend checks, told the crowd in North Carolina.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump makes big promises with a catch: Republicans must win midterms
