Donald Trump told supporters at a rally in Mississippi on Monday that oil prices would fall “very soon,” while celebrating what he described as America’s return to being “the hottest country in the world.”
Trump was campaigning for Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith’s re-election when he acknowledged that he had expected oil prices to rise “much, much higher” amid the war in the Middle East.
He went on to predict lower costs for Americans, saying gas prices in Iowa had already dropped to between “$1.85 and $1.95” per gallon.
The president also declared that the United States had reclaimed its status as “the hottest country in the world,” while dismissing a temporary ceasefire between the US and Iran as a “waste of time.”
“Two years ago, we were laughed at all over the world,” he said. “They didn’t respect us, they didn’t respect our leadership.”
“And now, every single leader in the world considers us to be the strongest, the hottest country.”
Speaking in one of the poorest states in the nation, Trump told Mississippians that their incomes were “the highest they’ve ever been” and that the poverty rate had reached its “best and lowest level” in history.
It was Trump’s first visit to the Magnolia State in seven years.
Hyde-Smith spent less than a minute on stage before asking the enthusiastic crowd: “Is this not the best president in our lifetime?”
Speaking at the Mississippi rally, Trump told voters that oil and gas prices would fall “very soon”
Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith is facing an unexpectedly competitive race for Mississippi’s Senate seat. She appeared on stage for less than a minute during Monday night’s event
The Cook Political Report continues to rate Mississippi as Republican-leaning, but Democratic candidate Scott Colom has reduced Hyde-Smith’s lead to single digits in recent polls
Earlier in his speech, Trump made his familiar appeal to voters, urging them to “pretend I’m on the ballot” as he visited a site just south of the Tennessee border.
His remarks were interrupted once again by a heckler.
Mississippi has not elected a Democratic senator in more than four decades, but Democrats have become increasingly hopeful about an upset this year after Hyde-Smith was caught off guard by the unexpectedly close contest.
Trump carried the state by 23 points in 2024, while Hyde-Smith won her most recent race by seven points.
Conservatives, however, are now concerned that the “blue wave” moving through historically deep-red states such as Alaska, Kansas and Texas could be spreading elsewhere.
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The Cook Political Report recently downgraded its assessment of the Senate contest from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican.”
Democratic challenger Scott Colom said he planned to attend the rally and speak with voters.
“I’m going to listen,” he said during a public press conference on Monday.
The Democrat recently went viral for an ad mocking a tone-deaf comment made by Hyde-Smith about surging beef prices.
Geoff Pender, politics editor at the non-profit newsroom Mississippi Today, told the Daily Mail that he is surprised by how tight the battle has become.
‘This was not expected to be a race,’ he said. ‘Hyde-Smith early on probably took it for granted.’
The Democrat, on the other side, sought to get high-profile surrogates like Kamala Harris and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to boost votes.
He ‘put in the shoe leather’ and ‘worked hard,’ Pender said, but acknowledged that Colom ‘still faces an uphill battle’ he could only win if Democrat ‘supercharge and overperform on turnout.’
Trump’s midterm rally to boost Republican votes was once again interrupted by a heckler
Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the country
While Hyde-Smith is facing a tougher-than-expected race against Colom, the Cook Political Report still ranks the Senate race as ‘likely Republican’
He added that he is ‘not sure’ whether Trump’s visit will actually help Hyde-Smith as the Republican seemed less excited about the president than before.
‘In past cycles she was begging him to come and endorse her. This was a little different. Her response when was: “Well, if he would like to, that would be fine.”
‘It was not: “Hoorah, he’s great, I’m so glad he is coming.” To me, that was telling.’
Trump’s approval rating has sunk to a historic low as the war with Iran and his tariffs drive up the cost of living for voters but he has repeatedly urged Republicans to treat the midterms as a referendum on his presidency.
The president will make two appearances in Texas on Tuesday, followed by rallies in Ohio on Wednesday, Florida on Friday and Iowa later in the campaign’s closing stretch.
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