6:09 p.m. ET, November 26, 2018
"Don't take any chances": Trump urges crowd to "get out" and vote for Hyde-Smith
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Trump encouraged the crowd in Tupelo to "get out" and vote in Tuesday's runoff election.
"Don't take any chances," he warned. "Just assume you have to vote... or send back your ballots or do whatever you have to do but just get it done."
Even though the results of the 2018 midterm elections have been widely decided, Trump suggested that a win for Democratic candidate Mike Espy would "revoke" Republican wins.
"We cannot allow Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to revoke that victory by winning the state of Mississippi," he said.
Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, he said, "votes for us and she votes for Make America Great Again and America First."
He added, falsely, that the Democratic Party's platform today is "radical socialism and open borders."
He also drew contrasts with Espy, citing his support for "late-term abortion on demand," "a total government takeover of healthcare," and "free taxpayer funded healthcare to illegal aliens."
"Mike Espy would rather protect illegal aliens than the people that live in Mississippi," Trump said.
He continued: "We don’t need to give Schumer another vote to block our judges and abolish our borders."
Trump later looked ahead to the 2020 campaign, quipping, "I do really want to run against a true socialist… that’s going to be a very interesting fight."
He also brought Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, to the stage, who reminded the crowd of Hyde-Smith's vote on then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
"When Kavanaugh needed your senator, she was there. I want you to remember what they will do on the other side," Graham said, adding, "I want you to show up Tuesday. We’re going to start over in 2019 and if you like Kavanaugh there’s more coming."