CORPUS CHRISTI—President Donald Trump rallied Republicans in South Texas on Tuesday, urging voters to turn out in the final week before the midterm elections as the party fights to secure key congressional and statewide races.
Supporters lined up outside the Port of Corpus Christi in the early morning hours, braving pouring rain to secure seats for the president’s second visit to the coastal city this year.
The message from Republican leaders throughout the event was clear: Victory on November 3 will depend on getting Republican voters to the polls.
“It’s pure math. Republicans vote, we win!” State Rep. Todd Hunter told the crowd.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick echoed that message, warning that nearly two million Republicans had yet to cast their ballots.
“We have almost 2 million Republicans who have not voted yet,” Patrick said. “Don’t wait until Election Day. This election will be one of the closest elections we’ve ever had.”
Trump similarly urged supporters to vote as though his own name were on the ballot.
“For this election, I’m asking you to do one thing because for whatever reason, we get a lot more votes when I’m on the ballot,” Trump said.
“Now I want you to pretend I’m on the ballot,” he added. “If you go out and vote like you did in the presidential elections, we win in a landslide. We win everything.”
The rally was particularly significant for two South Texas congressional candidates.
Republican Eric Flores, who is challenging Democrat Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, received an enthusiastic reception from the crowd. Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz, who is facing Democrat Bobby Pulido, was also met with loud applause.
Both races have attracted national Republican attention as the party seeks to maintain control of the U.S. House.
Trump also campaigned heavily for Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is facing Democrat James Talarico in the U.S. Senate race.
“We are going to elect one of the greatest attorney generals in the entire country,” Trump said of Paxton. “He’s the best attorney general in the history of Texas.”
The president repeatedly criticized Talarico’s positions on energy, immigration, and gender mutilation, at one point playing a compilation of the Democrat’s past remarks for the crowd.
“If you’re running in Texas and if you don’t like guns and if you don’t like meat and if you don’t like oil, I think you should be losing by a lot,” Trump said.
He also warned Republicans against assuming victory was assured.
“We don’t want any surprises,” Trump said, pointing to the importance of turning out voters in races across the state.
Beyond the election, Trump used the Port of Corpus Christi as the backdrop for a major announcement involving Venezuelan oil.
The president pointed to a ship carrying one million barrels of oil from Venezuela, describing it as part of a much larger supply expected to reach the United States following the recent military conflict.
“See that little ship out there, that’s got 1 million barrels of oil on it from Venezuela,” Trump told the crowd.
He said the oil was being provided to the United States at no cost to American taxpayers and would be refined in Texas.
The president predicted the additional supply would eventually bring down gasoline and diesel prices.
Trump also touted the Port of Corpus Christi’s recent activity, saying it had experienced its busiest nine-month period in history.
One of the rally’s most personal moments came when Trump invited Alexis Nungaray, the mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, to address the crowd.
Jocelyn was sexually assaulted and murdered in Houston in 2024. Two illegal aliens have been charged in connection with her death.
Alexis thanked Trump for continuing to share her daughter’s story.
“She was a 12-year-old girl who had her entire life ahead of her with dreams beyond her wildest imaginations, but it was cut devastatingly short,” Nungaray said.
She urged Americans to remember her daughter and emphasized the importance of voting.
“No parent should ever have to go through the grief that I’m going through and learn how to live life differently without your child,” she said.
Tuesday’s appearance marked Trump’s second visit to the Port of Corpus Christi this year, following an energy-focused event in February.
Trump is also scheduled to speak in Lubbock on Tuesday evening, more than 500 miles away, as part of his final campaign push in Texas.
The two stops reflect different electoral priorities, with the South Texas appearance drawing attention to competitive congressional races and the West Texas rally aimed at turning out Republican voters.
Trump concluded his remarks by again emphasizing the importance of voting.
“You have to get out. We have to keep it. You have to vote,” Trump said. “So let’s go out and do what we do best, and that’s win on November 3rd.”
Early voting continues through Friday, October 30, with Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.
