Trump Defends Marshall at Kansas Rally as Senate Race Tightens

President Donald Trump traveled to Park City, Kansas, on Monday, October 19, 2026, to support Republican Senator Roger Marshall as Democrat Adam Hamilton mounted an unexpectedly strong challenge ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. At the Heartland Credit Union Arena, Trump defended Marshall, attacked Hamilton, and used an antisemitic slur while responding to scrutiny of the senator's past medical practice.

The rally highlighted a competitive Senate contest in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator since 1932. The Guardian reported that about 5,000 supporters attended, while the nonpartisan Cook Political Report rated the race a toss-up, according to NBC News.

Hamilton, 62, is a former Republican and Methodist megachurch pastor who founded the 24,000-member Church of the Resurrection. Marshall, 66, is an obstetrician-gynecologist and former congressman who has represented Kansas in the Senate since 2021. The Guardian reported that Hamilton raised $11 million in the third quarter, compared with $800,000 for Marshall.

Trump acknowledged the state's changing political landscape while addressing supporters.

"You're really sort of – I hate to say it – you're sort of tending toward the purple," Trump said, referring to Kansas's increasingly competitive political environment and its Democratic governor, Laura Kelly.

He then emphasized his support for the incumbent.

"guy" was Trump's description of the candidate he wanted voters to support, Roger Marshall.

Marshall has remained a staunch Trump ally, including by endorsing the president's discredited claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Hamilton opposes Trump's tariff policies and has criticized what he describes as the president's erratic leadership, according to The Guardian.

Trump's appearance followed reports about Marshall's treatment of patients with unpaid medical bills. The New York Times reported last month that Marshall had sued more than 700 patients, with scores of arrest warrants issued after patients missed court dates. Marshall's lawyer said the senator had no involvement in the warrants or arrests, and Marshall characterized the report as a politically motivated attack.

Defending the senator, Trump told him:

"You got screwed with that stuff," Trump said, referring to the reporting without naming The New York Times.

Trump also described the reporting as portraying Marshall as "some kind of a shylock-type guy," using a term associated with antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish people and moneylending.

The Anti-Defamation League's educational guidance on William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice explains the broader implications of the character's portrayal: "Shylock, and by extension, all Jews, are presented as money-hungry, conniving, and cruel."

NBC News reported that Trump had used the same slur in a speech the previous year while discussing bankers. At that time, he said he had "never heard it that way" and explained, "To me, shylock is somebody that's a moneylender at high rates." The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on Monday's remarks.

Trump also attacked Hamilton's political positions and questioned his suitability to represent Kansas. Marshall told rally attendees that Hamilton was "too woke for Kansas." He accused his opponent of supporting protests against police, drag shows, and opposition to eating beef.

Marshall said:

"This is a guy that participates in protests against police. He supports drag shows. He tells us to apologise for the colour of our skin. And in a state with more cattle than people, he tells you to stop eating beef."

The crowd jeered during Marshall's remarks, according to The Guardian. Hamilton, a former Republican who considered running as an independent before entering the Democratic race, has received endorsements from prominent Republicans and Democrats in Kansas.

Trump escalated his attacks on Hamilton, calling him a "radical left lunatic" and a "phoney who's pretending to be a moderate". He also alleged that Hamilton supported admitting refugees who would "go around killing people", used church money to fund "transgender crap", "openly mocks Jesus", and believed America was systemically racist.

Trump told the audience:

"He wants you to repent for being born white," Trump said.

The president also invoked violence in France to criticize immigration, claiming without evidence that immigrants were responsible for the unrest. He said:

"We're not going to let that happen to this country," Trump said.

He continued:

"When you see burning steeples and raging fires in France, just remember that is what the radical Dumocrats want to do to America."

Trump also targeted three Muslim politicians: Abdul El-Sayed, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib. When Tlaib's name came up, audience members shouted, "Deport her!" Trump falsely claimed that El-Sayed and his sister belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist opposition group in Egypt, and suggested that El-Sayed could leak sensitive information if elected to the Senate.

The Guardian reported that Trump won Kansas by 16 percentage points against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024. His latest appearance came amid a nationwide campaign effort to protect Republican majorities in Congress before the midterms.

Kansas farmers have faced rising diesel costs linked to the Iran war, with diesel reaching nearly $6 per gallon, according to The Guardian. Cattle ranchers have also been affected by Trump's proposed reduction of import tariffs intended to lower beef prices, while immigration enforcement operations have prompted some agricultural workers to remain home.

At the rally, Trump announced an $8 billion support program for farmers to offset diesel expenses during the harvest season. The event was also disrupted by several protesters, according to The Guardian.

The president's supporters displayed campaign merchandise, including "Alligator Alcatraz" items, "Make America great again" caps, and jackets bearing the slogans "DJT" and "Trump the golden age". Other visible clothing included "We are all Charlie Kirk now" sweaters and shirts reading "Stand for the flag, kneel for the cross". One attendee wore a sweater marked "0% liberal.", while another wore a shirt stating "I love Trump because he pisses off all the people I can't stand."

Trump's rally underscored the stakes of the November 3 election, with the Kansas Senate contest among the races that could determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress.