US midterms: France riots enter Trump’s Kansas pitch

Park City, Kansas: During his rally in support of Republican incumbent Roger Marshall, US President Donald Trump leveraged recent France riots to criticize Democrats in his quest to retain his Kansas Senate seat. The unrest in France, fueled by soaring living costs and underfunded public services, is what Democrats allegedly wish to bring to the United States, Trump proclaimed, without providing any evidence.

Speaking about immigrant and Muslim issues, a strategy that has been a cornerstone of his presidential campaigns, Trump warned that "radical Dumocrats" threaten American values. Marshall, a first-term senator who faces a tough battle against Democratic candidate Adam Hamilton, a Methodist megachurch pastor, focused on cultural issues and accused Hamilton of being "too woke" for Kansas, particularly due to his support for gay pride parades.

Despite the close competition in Kansas, where Democrats haven't won a Senate seat in 94 years, Trump's visit reflects the party's efforts to maintain control of the Senate and House of Representatives during the November midterm elections. With 31% of Americans approving of Trump's performance, Democrats need to gain four seats in both chambers to overturn Republican control.