President Donald Trump campaigned for Republican candidates in Bullhead City, Arizona, on Wednesday, showcasing a new Air Force One and defending his acceptance of the luxury jet from the Qatari royal family. This visit marked his second day of a Western campaign swing aimed at bolstering the Republican party ahead of the Nov. 3 elections.
Trump's first detailed comments after disembarking the plane at the local airport rally described his discovery that the Qataris possessed "the best of all the 747s." He recounted calling to ask the country's leader to borrow the aircraft before the emir instead offered it as a gift. Trump accepted the airplane last year, an act that drew strong bipartisan criticism, including from some of his staunch Republican supporters. Addressing the crowd in Bullhead City, Trump said, "When you're given gifts, you take 'em, right?" adding that upon receiving a 747, one says two words: 'thank you.'
The event took place in Mohave County, where Bullhead City is situated. According to Census and state unemployment data, the county has higher poverty and unemployment rates than both state and national averages, alongside a lower per-capita income. Trump won Mohave County with 78% of the vote in 2024. Supporters awaited Trump in the heat at the local airport. Soaring music played as the former Qatari jet flew low over the area. The president, wearing his signature red baseball cap, emerged with a wave and a fist bump, slowly descending the stairs as speakers broadcast Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." The new Air Force One, now featuring Trump's red, white, blue, and gold paint scheme, along with the Black Mountains, filled the background as he began speaking.
Trump traveled to Arizona to rally support for Rep. Andy Biggs, who is seeking to defeat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. Republicans Jay Feely and Rep. Juan Ciscomani, running in the state's two competitive U.S. House districts, did not attend the event. Following his Arizona appearance, Trump was scheduled to head to Western Montana's 1st District to support Aaron Flint, a former aide to retiring Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke.
During his remarks, Trump also spoke extensively about aesthetic embellishments in Washington, D.C., including the White House ballroom, which is under construction, a recently completed helipad on the South Lawn, and a planned triumphal arch for the capital. He asserted that the "fake news media doesn't talk about how well we're doing" as a country, and that journalists instead inquire about "affordability," a word he pronounced with a dismissive tone.
Rep. Biggs has been a steadfast ally of the president, assisting Trump's attempt to block certification of his 2020 election defeat. A former head of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Biggs has represented a safe GOP seat since his election in 2016. He faces Gov. Hobbs, who narrowly defeated Republican Kari Lake in the governor's race four years ago. Arizona, historically a GOP stronghold where registered Republicans still outnumber Democrats and independents, has seen voters repeatedly reject Trump allies and elect Democrats to top offices. Trump stated that Biggs "will always stand with law enforcement" and accused Hobbs of doing "the bidding of the cartels" on the U.S.-Mexico border. Hobbs, in response, states she has strengthened the border by deploying National Guard troops and boosting local law enforcement funding.
In Montana, Aaron Flint, an Army veteran and talk-radio host, received endorsements from the president and Zinke during the June primary. Flint's campaign targets progressive Democrats. His opponent is Sam Forstag, a Democratic labor union leader and Forest Service smokejumper. Montana's 1st District is noted as slightly less Republican overall than the state, which voted for Trump by double digits in each of his three presidential campaigns.
This Western campaign swing is part of what White House press secretary Katie Zacharia termed a "midterm blitz," in Trump's effort to stem expected Republican losses and counter the historical trend of the president's party typically losing seats in midterm elections. Arizona stands out as the sole swing state among Trump's recent stops, though the airport rally was held in a county he won with 78% of the vote in 2024. His other October visits have focused on traditionally solid Republican territories like Alabama, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. This campaigning occurs as Trump navigates low approval ratings, rising costs, and the Iran war. The shifting financial strategies in the final weeks of midterm campaigns indicate a more defensive posture by Republicans and new aggression from Democrats, who aim to capitalize on Trump's low public approval. Trump twice won Arizona, in 2016 and 2024, but lost the state in 2020.
