Speaking at the Butler-Vandalia Student Activity Center, Trump used a rally for Senator Jon Husted and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to urge supporters to vote, saying, "If you do that, we're going to win, and we're going to win big, and we're going to shove it up their a--." He also predicted a surprise result, telling the crowd, "I think we're going to have a big surprise because they don't know what's happening."
Trump argued that maintaining Republican control would give Ohio officials a direct line to his administration and make it easier for the state to secure federal help. Referring to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, he said, "But I'm not going to help her."
Husted, who faces former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, criticized Brown as someone who has accomplished little. "He's been in office for 50 years — can you name one thing that he has done for you?" Husted said.
Brown's campaign responded by criticizing Husted for backing Trump's policy on Iran and supporting tax deals that lured data centers to Ohio. "Jon Husted puts corporations and billionaires first every time, and we all pay for it," Brown spokesperson Lauren Chou said in an email.
The rally comes amid economic headwinds for Trump. Ohio gasoline prices have increased 35% over the past year to $4.16 per gallon, according to AAA, while Trump won more than 55% of the Ohio vote in the 2024 presidential election.