Trump: 'I could say stupidest things' and still get cheers from crowd.

President Donald Trump told a rally of MAGA supporters in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Saturday that he could "say the stupidest things" and still receive applause as Republicans ramp up campaigning for the midterm elections. The 80-year-old president appeared at F&M Bank Arena to energize his base ahead of the vote.

"I'm on the ballot — just pretend I'm on the ballot," Trump said, urging attendees to vote for Republican candidates despite his own name not appearing on the ballot. He repeated this request, which he has made in several key states during recent campaign stops.

The president drew cheers and chants from the crowd as he described the atmosphere at his events. He told a supporter who asked about managing stage fright that rallies are easy for him because of the "love in these rooms," a sentiment the audience echoed as they responded with applause.

Trump questioned his presence in the state, noting that Senate candidates Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn, who is running for governor, are polling ahead in their races. He claimed he has won Tennessee by "many, many, many points" and "some ridiculous number" in past elections, adding, "I don't have to campaign here."

Addressing the crowd as people who "elected you three separate times," Trump reiterated his false claim that he lost the 2020 election to fraud. "So, three times I won the election, the big election three times. I got screwed the second time because they cheated. They cheated. We cannot let that happen again," he said.

Trump framed his policy agenda as pragmatic rather than ideological, telling the crowd, "But we don't say the stupidest things; we say things of common sense." He listed priorities including securing the border, lowering taxes, and maintaining a strong military, dismissing the need for labels like "conservative."

While Trump maintains a strong hold on his base, internal divisions and external pressures loom over the midterms. A recent Politico poll found that 62 percent of MAGA supporters believe Republican candidates have a better chance of winning if they align with Trump, while 26 percent of 2024 Trump voters think candidates would fare better if they broke with the president.

The Republican campaign faces headwinds as some Americans distance themselves from Trump and his endorsed candidates. Concerns over the war in Iran, high gas prices, and inflation are driving a segment of the electorate away from the president's influence.