Democrats are leading Republicans by 26 percentage points among young men who say they will definitely vote in November, according to a Harvard Youth Poll. Trump’s answer, seven days out from Election Day, is a Heisman Trophy winner at his side.

The president is scheduled to appear at the Port of Corpus Christi at 2pm local time, then at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center at 6pm local time. Manziel won the Heisman at Texas A&M. McCoy quarterbacked the University of Texas. Amendola played at Texas Tech in Lubbock before winning two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.

Football as a turnout tool

Trump won men under 30 by 14 points in 2024, per a Tufts University analysis, and that group is central to his base. The problem for Republicans is that low-propensity voters tend to stay home when the president is not himself on the ballot. The Texas tour, first reported by Axios, is aimed squarely at pulling them in.

The pitch from inside Trump’s circle is not subtle.

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“Trump has many bases. And football is one of them, college and pros. The response is good. And the president loves the atmosphere. So why not?” a Trump adviser told Axios.

Paxton’s Senate run anchors the Lubbock stop

The Lubbock stop is tied to Ken Paxton’s Senate run against Democrat James Talarico on November 3. Corpus Christi sits in the 34th Congressional District, one of a handful of districts that voted Trump in 2024 but sent a Democrat to the House.

Gurley on Air Force One

The Texas rallies come 11 days after a similar play in Georgia. Former Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley boarded Air Force One with Trump on October 16 for a rally in Dalton supporting Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins, who is challenging incumbent Jon Ossoff. Gurley, a former University of Georgia running back, was the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year with the Rams and is a three-time Pro Bowl selection.

Doors in Corpus Christi open at 10:30am local time; in Lubbock, at 2:30pm local time. Election Day is November 3.

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