Trump rallies in Tennessee with Kid Rock ahead of midterms

President Donald Trump took the stage Saturday to boast about billions of dollars flowing into Tennessee manufacturing and his administration's fight against crime there. He also called Iranian leaders "crazy" and joked about renaming bodies of water during a large rally that featured musician Kid Rock. The president appeared in Clarksville ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. He campaigned for Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty and gubernatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn while mixing economic talking points, foreign policy ideas, and off-script humor.

Kid Rock opened the event with a religious-themed introduction. He praised Trump's leadership while taking aim at the news media. "Literally, President Trump could walk across the Cumberland River, and tomorrow the headline would say President Trump refuses to swim," Kid Rock joked. The rocker also condemned Islamist extremism and defended religious freedom. He argued that Americans should not be forced to live under religious laws that override the Constitution. "We are not, and we will never be, one nation under Mohammed, because we are, and we always will be, one nation under God," Kid Rock told the crowd.

Trump later thanked his longtime supporter and friend by his given name, Bob, before turning to an array of domestic and international issues. The president addressed tensions with Iran, calling the country's leaders "crazy" while claiming that Tehran's rhetoric had softened following U.S. military operations. "They don't talk that way anymore, by the way," Trump said after recounting previous threats from Iranian leaders. He described what he characterized as extensive damage to Iran's military capabilities, claiming 159 ships had been sunk and its air force and air-defense systems destroyed. "They have no Navy. They have no Air force, they have no anti-aircraft equipment," Trump said.

The president then pivoted from the Strait of Hormuz to an unexpected geography lesson, suggesting it could one day be called the "Trump Strait." He also revisited his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America before floating additional changes to the map. "We need a river. We need an ocean," Trump said, suggesting the Atlantic or Pacific could become the "Trump Ocean" or "Ocean of the Americas." "Before I get out, I think we should have an ocean," he added, without yet announcing any formal renaming plans.

On the economy, Trump promoted Korea Zinc's planned investment of more than $6 billion in Tennessee, a project expected to create 740 jobs across Montgomery and Smith counties. Tennessee officials announced the $6.6 billion project in December, describing it as the largest single private corporate investment in state history. The plans include a new critical-minerals smelter in Clarksville and the reopening of a former mine in Gordonsville. "And your state will soon be home to the first new mineral smelter in the United States, first one built since 1979," Trump said. The project is intended to strengthen domestic supplies of minerals used in semiconductors, defense technology and advanced manufacturing.

Trump also cited General Motors' previously announced $275 million investment in its Spring Hill manufacturing facility to support production of next-generation turbocharged Cadillac engines. The president credited his tariff policies with encouraging domestic investment, arguing that companies were expanding American manufacturing to avoid import duties. In a Tennessee-focused fact sheet released as the rally began, the White House asserted that Republican-backed tax policies had preserved $23 billion in economic activity in the state.

The administration pointed to an average tax refund of $3,674 for Tennesseans in 2026 as proof of economic relief coming through the federal system. Public safety took center stage next, with President Trump touting recent federal law-enforcement work in Memphis and stating that roughly 12,000 dangerous criminals had been taken off the streets. The White House went further, claiming murders and overall crime there dropped by about 36%, a drop they credited to the Memphis Safe Task Force.

Lighter moments surfaced when the president talked about First Lady Melania Trump resisting his playful impersonations of athletes during talks on transgender participation in women's sports. "She said it's not presidential," he recalled with a grin, then pivoted to joke about her potential film career. "There is only room for one star in a family, so I don't need this movie stuff. I don't need it."

Trump carried Tennessee in all three of his previous presidential campaigns, and he framed the visit as a chance to thank supporters in a state where he has received strong electoral backing. "Sometimes it's nice to go to a place where you don't have to be, but you're there to say thank you to the great people that elected you three separate times in record time," he said.

He kept returning to the November elections, urging fans to back Republican candidates even though his name will not appear on the ballot this year. "In this election, I'm asking you to do me a favor. Pretend. Just pretend that I'm running," Trump told the crowd.