Donald Trump holds Ohio rally amid criticism of J.D. Vance endorsement for U.S. Senate – By Haley BeMiller (The Columbus Dispatch) / April 24, 2022
Former President Donald Trump visited Ohio on Saturday to rally supporters behind his chosen candidate for the state’s contentious U.S. Senate race.
Trump took the stage shortly before 7 p.m. at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, hours after people first arrived to hear him speak on an unseasonably warm April day. The former president used the appearance to air grievances about his White House successor and criticized Democratic policies on the U.S.-Mexico border, inflation and law enforcement.
Peppered throughout his speech were references to author and venture capitalist J.D. Vance, who Trump is backing in the GOP primary to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman. In his overture about Vance’s candidacy – which came nearly an hour into the speech – Trump cast Vance as the best chance to keep the Senate seat in Republican hands.
“I studied this very closely,” Trump told the crowd. “I like a lot of the other people in the race. I liked them a lot. But we have to pick the one that’s going to win. This guy is tough as hell. He’s going win.”
