The rally’s signs and speeches focused mainly on Kentucky contests, even as it drew attention from the Cincinnati media market. Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Andy Barr in the Senate race and Ed Gallrein in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District. Ralph Alvarado, the Republican candidate in the competitive 6th District race, was also praised by Trump, though he did not attend.

Trump said Alvarado was in “a tight race” against Democrat Zach Dembo and called Dembo a “lunatic.” The 6th District contest is considered Kentucky’s most competitive race this election cycle. Barr, who currently represents the district, is running for the Senate against former state Rep. Charles Booker, a Democrat.

Trump also claimed the federal government would invest $100 million in pharmaceutical company Antheia to revive a drug manufacturing facility in Winchester. The governor’s office said it had no information about the proposed investment. A spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear added that if federal funding were conditioned on an election outcome, the matter should be investigated. The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to a request for clarification before the rally coverage was published.

During a speech lasting more than 90 minutes, Trump urged the crowd to act as though he were on the ballot, saying that would help Republicans win seats. He also repeated a promise of $5,000 checks for adults if Republicans win control of Congress this fall.

Barr and Gallrein joined Trump in portraying Democrats as socialists or communists. Trump called Booker a “communist lunatic,” while Barr compared him to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL officer who defeated U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie in the Republican primary, said he had confronted socialist and communist governments while serving overseas.

Republican speakers also addressed national issues. Barr attributed high U.S. gas prices to Iran and praised Trump’s actions against the country. The rally followed U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year, after which the Strait of Hormuz was closed, according to the source’s account.

The event included a brief interruption when a protester was removed by security. Trump asserted without providing evidence that the person was paid to protest. A few demonstrators also gathered outside the arena before it opened, as protests against the administration were planned elsewhere in Kentucky.

Kentucky’s only Democratic member of Congress, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, criticized Trump ahead of the rally and called on him to answer for rising costs and Republican-backed Medicaid cuts. McGarvey said voters were focused on gas, groceries and health care prices, and expressed confidence in Dembo’s campaign. He also argued that Alvarado’s absence from the rally did not separate him from Trump’s policies.

The rally’s on-screen notices highlighted the Oct. 20 deadline to request an absentee ballot and the start of early voting on Oct. 29. Election Day is Nov. 3.