In Kansas rally, Trump defends Marshall’s record and calls Hamilton a ‘disgrace’

PARK CITY — President Donald Trump on Monday defended U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall’s record and blamed judges and state law for the senator’s practice of suing and arresting patients in medical debt cases when he was a physician.

The president campaigned for Marshall and other Republican candidates in a visit to Kansas in-between Alaska and the Carolinas. Marshall, R-Kansas, is running for reelection against a Kansas City-area pastor, the Rev. Adam Hamilton, who is a Democrat. Also in the race is David Graham, a Libertarian from Overland Park.

Trump spent the first 20 minutes of his roughly one-hour-and-40-minute speech with scant mention of Kansas, Marshall or Hamilton, taking a few moments to call Marshall’s opponent a “bad person” and a “disgrace” while focusing on the Michigan Senate race and condemning other Senate Democrats. Throughout his speech, protestors interrupted him at least five times while Trump reiterated Republican priorities going into the midterm elections: secure borders, a stronger military and lower costs.

He announced a “harvest fuel relief” program, promising to offset diesel fuel prices for farmers, which have exceeded $6 per gallon in Kansas in recent weeks.

Trump embarked on a tour across the U.S. earlier this month, visiting traditionally Republican-friendly states ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. His stop in Kansas was his first since 2018, and the first time a sitting president has visited the Wichita area in 20 years.

He called Marshall “one of the greatest senators in our country,” and warned attendees about the perceived consequences of Democrats winning midterm races, including economic depression.

But if Republicans win, he said: “I’ll give you cash.”

Trump has repeated since September the promise of $5,000 cash for every adult in the U.S. if Republicans win the midterm elections to retain control of the U>S. House and Senate.

He said Marshall is a “tough guy” and “high quality.” He said Marshall was “given a bum rap,” for his practice of suing and arresting people for medical debt when he was a physician in central Kansas.

Trump blamed the arrests on a judge and the law, not Marshall.

“He didn’t do it,” Trump said.

“You got screwed with that,” he said to Marshall

He called Hamilton “radical left” and a “lunatic” who is “pretending to be a moderate.”

Trump was preceded on stage by seven Kansas officials running for public office in November, including Marshall, and rock musician and hunting enthusiast Ted Nugent. By the time the president took the stage, the roughly 6,000 seats in the Heartland Credit Union Arena on the outskirts of Wichita were about two-thirds full.

In-between speeches, a playlist of hits from another century played and concession lines stretched above stadium seats in an arena that typically hosts midsized music and sporting events.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, and NASCAR driver Danica Patrick also were in attendance.

Marshall, in his speech ahead of Trump, largely focused on his opponent. He criticized Hamilton’s stances on immigration, and he said Hamilton was “the most radical liberal Democrat to ever make it through a Senate primary in the history of Kansas.”

Hamilton faced 10 other Democratic candidates in the August primary election.

Tyson Brody, a spokesperson for Hamilton’s campaign, said Monday’s rally was a sign of Marshall’s campaign sinking and Washington panicking.

“They’re sending in reinforcements to lie and attack Adam Hamilton to try to save Marshall,” Brody said. “But nothing said at the rally can distract from the fact Kansans are being crushed by rising gas and diesel prices, struggling to access affordable healthcare, and are tired of Washington corruption.”

Marshall said if Republicans lose the Kansas U.S. Senate race, he feared longtime Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and Cory Booker of New Jersey would control the U.S. Senate.

“The legacy media wants to make this race so complicated,” Marshall said.

National news outlets and pundits have glommed onto Kansas in recent weeks as Hamilton’s personal fundraising has outdone Marshall’s, and outside groups have begun to flood Kansas markets with targeted ads on both sides of the aisle.

Vice President JD Vance in September visited Kansas, highlighting Marshall’s personal and professional accomplishments.

Attendees responded to Trump’s points on immigration, transgender issues and the economy.

“I think this is a very important election,” said Karen Malone, of Manhattan, a little more than two hours from Park City.

“If we’re going to keep our values in our country, we need to vote and be excited about voting and listen to what our politicians have to say,” she added.

Malone said she doesn’t think about Marshall the same way she thinks about Trump. She said she still will vote for him, even if he isn’t the best Republicans have to offer, and that she wishes he were more vocal. He presents himself well in television news appearances, she said, but doesn’t speak out enough for Kansas’ rural needs.

Donna and Tom McLain traveled roughly two-and-a-half hours from Lenexa to see Trump. They said they voted for Marshall six years ago and plan to vote for him again. They said they aren’t bothered by reports about his aggressive medical debt collection practices and paper trail in Florida, where he had a second home until recently.

“It’s politics,” Donna McLain said. “The same can be said for his opponent.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee in advance of Trump’s visit to Kansas expressed support for Marshall and called Hamilton a “pedophile protector,” referring to a volunteer at Hamilton’s church, who in 2005 and 2006 inappropriately touched underaged boys at a youth camp.

Trump and Marshall also brought up the incident.

In Kansas Reflector reports published in May and July on the abuse allegations involving Church of the Resurrection, Hamilton said two church employees conducted an internal investigation into claims that surfaced in 2005. The inquiry was inconclusive because the children couldn’t identify the perpetrator, and the volunteer, Scott Moore, was barred from the church in 2006, when the matter also was turned over to police. 

“President Trump and Roger Marshall are working in lockstep to cut taxes, protect communities, and level the playing field for farmers,” said Samantha Cantrell, regional press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. 

Hamilton said in a video released Monday that people who voted for Trump have a place in Hamilton’s campaign. He emphasized his willingness to work with the president.

“When the president does something good for Kansas, I’ll stand beside him and say so. When a decision out of Washington hurts our farmers, our rural hospitals, or our paychecks, I’ll stand up to Washington and say that too. Some days we’ll agree. Some days we won’t,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton and Marshall are scheduled on Wednesday for a television debate, which Graham, the Libertarian candidate, has been excluded from.

Graham said in an emailed statement that Trump’s visit Monday was evidence of a tight race.

“My percentage of the electorate is greater than the difference between my two opponents,” Graham said. “Most of my support comes from voters who simply cannot vote for either of the other candidates.”

He said he should be included in any debates in which his opponents participate.

“My opponents are ignoring me and hope the voters do, too,” he said. “It’s not working. I’m the only candidate talking about issues, like criminal justice reform, and transparency in government.”