Trump Tells Rally Crowd to Pretend He Is on the Ballot

Margaret Sullivan, writing in the Guardian, argues that the pretend-he-is-on-the-ballot plea "deserves to backfire," calling it an "egotistical notion" more appealing to Trump than to voters given approval ratings "in the basement" and rally conduct she and others describe as "increasingly detached from reality" — including remarks that "border on the nonsensical," closing dances to YMCA, and "unsolicited and increasingly unhinged assessments of men's bodies." She says he has been "stretching the truth," citing a PolitiFact examination that disputed his claim he had gas prices "down to the lowest level in years" (PolitiFact: $3.23 a gallon when he took office versus $4.61 by late September). She contends that second-term "widespread self-dealing," a "misguided war," social-media rants, disparagement of allies including Canada, and an "obvious plan to declare the election rigged" are working against Republicans, quoting the Wall Street Journal's Jason Riley that even "Maga die-hards and GOP allies in Congress have grown weary of his erratic behavior." Democrats including Barack Obama, she notes, are campaigning by tying GOP candidates to Trump, with Obama calling the midterms "our last best chance to at least rein in some of the foolishness of this administration." She concludes the tactic may stir a "cult-like base" but will more likely remind most voters that his "malfeasance must be rebuked and rejected."