Washington: US President Donald Trump urged New York voters to elect three Republican congressional candidates, arguing that his tax policies and immigration agenda were at stake as he made a final telephone campaign pitch ahead of the midterm elections.
Addressing a virtual rally, Trump backed Mike Lawler, Mike LiPetri and Jeanine Driscoll. He portrayed the contests as crucial to protecting his administration’s programme and repeatedly urged supporters to turn out on November 3.
“So, get out and vote for Mike Lawler, Mike LiPetri, and Jeanine Driscoll. They’re fantastic people,” Trump said.
The appeal focused on taxes, border enforcement and gun rights. Trump also discussed Iran and energy prices, bringing foreign policy into a call aimed at mobilising voters in congressional races.
He singled out Lawler for praise over the federal deduction for state and local taxes, commonly known as SALT. Trump said Lawler had worked closely with him on the issue and described the deduction as particularly important for New York taxpayers.
He accused Democrat Laura Gillen, whom Driscoll was seeking to defeat, of opposing his tax measures. The supplied transcript contains no response from Gillen to his account of her positions.
Trump presented Driscoll, the Hempstead town receiver, as an official who had saved taxpayers money. He said her election would help preserve policies he described as removing taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security benefits.
Those descriptions were part of his campaign pitch. The remarks did not set out the provisions, eligibility rules or limits of the measures he cited.
Backing LiPetri against Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi, Trump said the Republican had opposed tax increases while serving in Albany. He argued that LiPetri would take the same approach in Congress and support his administration’s broader programme.
Trump sharply criticised Suozzi over immigration and accused Democrats of seeking citizenship for people who entered the country illegally to gain electoral support. The supplied material includes no response from Suozzi and provides no evidence establishing that alleged motive.
The president also made gun rights a central part of his appeal. He accused Democratic opponents of threatening protections under the Second Amendment and said his preferred candidates would resist restrictions.
“We want a wall. We want low taxes. We want a strong military,” he said.
Turning to Iran, Trump defended military action as necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He said Iranian military capabilities had been severely damaged and predicted that oil prices would fall once the confrontation was resolved.
The transcript provides no independent assessment of those military claims or support for his forecast on energy prices.
Trump also claimed that his administration’s drug pricing policy was bringing down medicine costs. He warned that Democrats would reverse the changes if they gained power, linking that argument to his broader appeal to preserve Republican support in Congress.
He described telephone rallies as an important part of his campaign effort and said he hoped to congratulate the three candidates after voting. He also praised Bruce Blakeman as his choice for New York governor.
(IANS)
