Trump Targets Democrats and Immigration at Ohio Rally

President Donald Trump used a campaign rally in Youngstown, Ohio, on Monday, October 12, 2026, to attack Democrats and immigrant communities while urging support for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. Speaking at the Covelli Centre for nearly 90 minutes, Trump sought to strengthen Republican turnout as incumbent Sen. Jon Husted faces a competitive challenge from former Sen. Sherrod Brown.

The rally came as Republicans work to retain an Ohio Senate seat that could help determine control of the chamber. CNN polling released the previous week showed Brown leading Husted by 6 percentage points, while early voting data indicated stronger Democratic participation than at the same stage of the 2024 election.

Trump also used the event to criticize Democrats beyond Ohio, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. His campaign schedule called for subsequent appearances in Alaska and Montana, states he won by 13 and 20 points, respectively, in 2024.

Immigration featured prominently in Trump's remarks, including renewed attacks on Somali and Haitian communities. He invoked Minnesota as a warning for Ohio while revisiting claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield that he had promoted during the 2024 campaign.

Trump began one attack on Minnesota by saying,

"Just look at what's happening in the once great state of Minnesota," Trump said.

Federal officers executed a search warrant at Omar's home in the Washington, D.C., area early Monday, according to a Justice Department spokesperson and a source familiar with the matter. Trump said he was not involved in the search but continued criticizing the congresswoman, who is a U.S. citizen.

Trump called Omar a "disaster" and attacked the country where she was born.

"[Rep. Omar] comes in from a country without laws, without police, without military, without — all they do is shoot each other — and she comes into our country, and she says, 'I have a constitutional right,'" Trump said.

He continued his criticism of Omar by questioning her invocation of constitutional protections.

"She's got a constitutional right? She's telling us about the Constitution, and she comes from one of the worst countries anywhere on the planet," Trump said.

As Trump intensified his attacks on Somalis in the United States, some audience members joined in with a chant.

"Deport!" rally supporters chanted.

Trump continued with derogatory remarks about Somali people and repeated his criticism of their intelligence.

"They think they're in Somalia, where they don't have pants to wear," Trump said.

He also repeated an insult about the intelligence of people he was criticizing.

Trump referred to them as "low IQ people."

He contrasted Minnesota with Ohio, arguing that his policies would prevent the state from experiencing similar problems. His remarks also revisited Springfield, where his previous claims about Haitian migrants eating residents' pets were false.

"If you want to stop Ohio from being plundered, ransacked, and destroyed like Minnesota's being destroyed, we're going to stop it. Just like we did with Springfield, we're going to stop it," Trump said.

The president then turned to Brown, seeking to connect the former Ohio senator with national Democratic figures and left-wing political movements.

"Sherrod Brown is the candidate of the Marxists, the communists, the anti-American radicals, who want to tear down America's heritage," Trump said.

Trump also argued that political changes in the Midwest could reshape Ohio's future.

He warned that the region could be transformed into Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, as part of his criticism of Democratic policies.

Trump said he wanted the Midwest "turned into Mogadishu."

Brown, a progressive populist, first won election to the Senate in 2006 and retained his seat in 2018 during Trump's first term. He lost reelection in 2024, when Trump also appeared on the ballot.

Trump used his own electoral record to encourage Ohioans to support Husted in the upcoming contest.

"So, what happens is every time I run, we do great," Trump said.

He urged voters to imagine his name appearing on this year's ballot, telling them to "pretend" he was running.

Early voting figures cited by CNN from the Ohio secretary of state's office showed Democrats accounting for a larger share of pre-election voters than they did two years earlier, including in some of the state's most Republican areas. Republicans, however, have historically been more likely in recent years to vote early in person or on Election Day.

Trump argued that the Senate contest could have consequences beyond Ohio, presenting the race as a factor in determining the direction of Congress.

"It's one vote, but that one vote can steer Congress into a direction that you're not going to be happy with. And it's not Ohio values," Trump said.

Earlier in the rally, interruptions included an apparent fight between a protester wearing a "Release The Epstein Files" T-shirt and another attendee in the stands. A young woman holding a Mexican flag also interrupted the event. Despite the disruptions and empty sections near the press riser, the rally was livelier than some of Trump's recent appearances.