Asked on camera why he's touring the reddest states in America if he's so confident, President Trump told CBS News' Ed O'Keefe:
I want all of them by a lot.
That's the new development in the 32-day campaign blitz Trump kicked off with 33 days left before the midterms. The tour started in Texas. Per the CBS broadcast, it also includes Ohio, Nebraska and Alabama, with Oklahoma next.
The backdrop, per CBS: the latest CBS News polling shows only 39% of respondents giving Trump positive marks. The anchor said a majority of voters disapprove of his job performance. She also said some Republicans are trying to distance themselves from him as Election Day nears.
Trump's explanation to O'Keefe was short. "I'm going there just to make sure," he said. On Oklahoma, he said the governor's primary winner was a candidate he endorsed when the man "was down by 22 points." Trump said he is going "to thank them."
CBS reporter Shana Mizell, reporting from Oklahoma, said Trump is expected to campaign with Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazie. She said Mazie had a rough primary and won his runoff by roughly 2,000 votes. Trump is also backing Senate candidate Kevin Hearn. Trump won Oklahoma with 66% in the last presidential election, Mizell said.
LiveNOW from FOX carried Trump's remarks in Durant, Oklahoma. He opened by saying the trip "was not an easy trip." He said he was in Texas trying to get Ken Paxton elected. Then, he said, staff told him weather meant no helicopter and no plane. His answer, as he told it: "Get your asses in that car."
Trump also said he won Oklahoma three times with the highest vote totals in state history. He said he carried all 77 counties each time. Those are his claims, made from the stage. The broadcast did not independently check them. He said about 20,000 people were outside who couldn't get in. That figure is also his.
So why bother? Mizell was asked whether the push is "too little too late." She said that "remains to be seen." She said a lot of voters have made up their minds, with a small sliver still undecided. The latest numbers suggest more than 800,000 voters have already cast ballots, she said.
The economy came up. One voter told Mizell it's a concern "with the price of everything," from food to gas to daycare. Mizell said even the Republican voters she spoke with acknowledged concerns.
The tour has 32 days left to run, and Oklahoma voters are already sending in ballots.