CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KXXV) — President Donald Trump held a midterm election rally in Corpus Christi, drawing a packed crowd of supporters, some of whom waited nearly 3 hours in the rain to get inside.
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The event was originally scheduled to be held in Waco but was moved to Corpus Christi last week.
Trump used the rally to urge Texans to support Republican candidates, with a particular focus on Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race.
"We're going to elect Republicans up and down the line, and most importantly, we are going to elect one of the greatest attorney generals and this is in the entire country," Trump said.
Trump also pointed to what he called a major oil victory as one of the reasons he chose Corpus Christi for the rally, referencing a ship carrying gifted oil from Venezuela visible from the venue.
"And one of the many reasons we did it here, we have a little breaking news. You have a little ship. See that little ship out there? It's got 1 million barrels of oil...And we're celebrating the greatest oil victory in history," Trump said.
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Trump claimed that fuel prices would soon drop, calling current concerns temporary.
"It will be refined right here in Texas, including right here in Corpus Christi. And you will see...It will happen very quickly. It'll be like a blink. Gasoline and diesel prices will soon come down. They'll come plummeting," Trump said.
Trump also took aim at Senate candidate James Talarico, claiming his policies would harm the state's energy industry.
"Talarico stated that he wants to dismantle Texas oil and gas and capitalism itself. He wants to take it apart," Trump said.
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Talarico's team responded to Trump's claims in a statement from spokesperson JT Ennis.
"Texans are ready to repeal corrupt tariffs that raise the price of everything and end this forever war driving up the price of gas. James is uniting Republicans, Democrats, and independents who are ready to reject Ken Paxton's corruption and lower costs for working Texans," Ennis said.
Despite the enthusiasm inside the venue, some supporters expressed concern about the shifting political landscape in Texas.
"I think that's a big thing people are looking at is affordability, and that's probably maybe 1st, 2 on my list of things that I worry about as far as for the election for this year," said Philip Matthews, a supporter from San Antonio.
Trump's next rally stop is scheduled for Lubbock.
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