A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to help Republicans win the midterms just since September.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
To be precise, more than $240 million, according to the group's latest Federal Elections Commission filing. Trump is also keeping up a campaign schedule. In Greenville, North Carolina, last night, he let on that things might not be going as well as he would like.
TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: NPR senior political correspondent Tamara Keith was there last night. Tam, what exactly did Trump say?
KEITH: Well, he acknowledged two House candidates who appeared with him at the rally are facing tough races and even said House Speaker Mike Johnson asked him to give them a special callout at the rally because they needed a boost. But Trump lavished the most attention on Michael Whatley, the former Republican Party chairman who Trump personally chose to run for the North Carolina U.S. Senate seat. At one point, he said, I got him into this, I hope it works. And then later, when criticizing the Democratic nominee, former Governor Roy Cooper, Trump basically conceded he thinks Cooper is going to win.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And he's going to become your senator, and it's crazy.
KEITH: It was a throwaway line, but it jumped out at me right away. Polls show Cooper with a substantial and durable lead here, and outside Republican groups have essentially abandoned Whatley on the air and moved their money to more competitive states.
MARTÍNEZ: So if the president thinks it's already a loss, I mean, is he going to be able to energize his people to come out and vote anyway?
KEITH: Well, certainly the people I spoke to at this rally were motivated, but this was one of the smallest Trump rallies I have ever covered. Of course, it was a school night in a relatively small town, in a fairly rural part of the state, and crowd size isn't predictive. But Trump gave them a two-hour show and dangled a few goodies for voters in every state he visits these days. He's making economic announcements like he's Oprah Winfrey or something. You get a project, and you get a relief fund, and you get red-dyed diesel for your trucks. Here he was last night.
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TRUMP: I'm pleased to announce something else, and this is a very big one also. This is a very, very big one. The Department of War will be investing $1.5 billion to produce cutting-edge semiconductor chips right here in North Carolina also.
KEITH: Though, as with many announcements the president has made over the years, there is often less than meets the eye, and details are hard to come by.
MARTÍNEZ: Any idea, though, if these promises are motivating voters to elect Republicans?
KEITH: Not really. But it does give him something to announce at each stop for local media to cover. Like, last night, he made a promise to North Carolinians affected by contaminated water at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base. He said if Republicans win the House and the Senate, he would order the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims.
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TRUMP: So if we don't win, there's no money. If we do win, you're getting it, and it's going to be finally over with that nightmare that's been going on for so many years.
KEITH: You know, I don't know that I have ever heard a president so explicitly deliver an ultimatum to voters like this, tying government settlement funds to an election outcome. Though, Trump has also promised $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans win big in the midterms, but Republican candidates aren't talking about it, and it hasn't really moved the needle with voters.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Tamara Keith. Tam, thank you very much.
KEITH: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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