Trump stokes fears in closing arguments

By CATHERINE LUCEY, ZEKE MILLER and JONATHAN LEMIRE

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Mob rule. A socialist takeover. Terrorists marching on the U.S. border.

As President Donald Trump embraces the role of electoral boogeyman, he’s making closing arguments to midterm voters that increasingly resemble a Halloween horror story.

The candidate who won the White House in part by harnessing many Americans’ anxieties is offering dire warnings about what life would look like if Democrats gain control of Congress.

Using racially charged language and sometimes questionable information, Trump argues that Democrats will plunge the country into socialism, imperil the social safety net, raise taxes and welcome millions of people pouring into the U.S illegally.

“At stake in this election is whether we continue the extraordinary prosperity that we’ve all achieved, or whether we let the radical Democrat mob take a giant wrecking ball and destroy our country and our economy,” Trump said at a rally in Houston on Monday night. He’s warning of Democratic “mob rule” and predicting a stock market crash if Democrats retake control on Capitol Hill.

Trump’s doomsday predictions come as Republicans seek to counter months of rising Democratic enthusiasm. The GOP has seen its own increase in energy since the politically charged confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Party leaders now believe they can increase their majority in the Senate, although control of the House remains within Democratic reach. Trump is looking to minimize any losses with a pitch that echoes his dark 2016 campaign rhetoric.

In a post-Labor Day election briefing, GOP pollster Neil Newhouse warned the White House about an enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans. He suggested that the GOP emphasize to voters the potential consequences of Democratic control of Congress on issues such as abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Trump has taken that message to heart in recent weeks, White House aides say.

The scare tactics run the risk of motivating Democrats or turning off moderates in the suburban races that could decide the House majority. But the White House sees the fear factor as a winning strategy.

“We want to talk about national security, border enforcement and justices. It’s the themes and policy points that will drive people out,” said former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg. “These are stark choices. We have to provide stark choices.”

In a recent Associated Press interview, Trump projected confidence about the upcoming elections, declaring: “It feels to me very much like ’16,” referring to his presidential win.

At rallies and on Twitter in recent days, he has focused on Central American migrants making their way to the southern U.S. border. The caravan is a “gift” to Republicans, Trump believes. He’s told confidants that it is the party’s best closing argument heading into the midterms, according to a Republican close to the White House who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations.

Trump believes the images of the caravan that have become a fixture on cable news networks – and particularly Fox News, the preferred network of his most loyal supporters – are riling up the same voters who turned out for him two years ago.

He has further heated up his rhetoric by suggesting, without presenting evidence, that the Democrats are behind the caravan and claiming that Middle Easterners – an apparent allusion to terrorists – are also in the traveling mass of migrants.