Should President Donald Trump deliver a primetime address next week with the avowed purpose of impacting the elections nationwide?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

President Trump is often the best proponent of his own policies, and the much-anticipated "blue wave" would effectively paralyze those policies and his plans to finish the battle with Iran, build the Golden Dome and Golden Fleet, and slow, if not reverse, the regulatory overhaul underway.

MORNING GLORY: MINNESOTA'S MASSIVE FRAUD SCANDAL COULD DELIVER A STUNNING SENATE UPSET

Loss of the Senate majority would also mean near-zero chances of confirming any appellate judges or Supreme Court justices. Spending on the Pentagon would also plummet as Democrats return to their long-standing position of insisting that every dollar of increased defense spending must be matched by one for non-defense domestic discretionary spending.

If President Trump makes these arguments directly to voters and names the names of the senators or Senate candidates who are key allies or the Democratic nominees he believes are from the far, far left, the sharpened focus could help mobilize his base to again support his agenda one last time.

13 DAYS UNTIL MIDTERMS, TRUMP HEADS TO SOUTH CAROLINA AS DEMOCRATS WIDEN BATTLEGROUND MAP

There are precedents for such an appeal, and they had mixed results.

On October 24, 2022, President Biden made a direct closing argument for Democrats at Democratic National Committee headquarters, 15 days before Election Day. The expected "red wave" that year was reduced to a ripple.

On October 25, 2006, President George W. Bush held a nationally televised news conference less than two weeks before the midterms. President Bush discussed Iraq and framed the election choice around national security and taxes. It was a news conference, not a formal primetime address. The GOP got "thumped," to borrow President Bush’s own characterization of the 2006 results.

The takeaway from that limited data set? A speech could work to rally a president’s base voters. A press conference won’t.

President Trump’s rallies around the country have always served as a feedback loop for his messaging. He knows it’s his base that turns out, and he tries out various messages and themes, then amplifies what works and cuts what doesn’t in subsequent rallies and in his conversations with the press.

Getting the feedback is particularly important when it comes to turning out the base. As the president has been everywhere in the past month, he has a good idea of what "works" in this campaign cycle.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN INSIDER REVEALS STRATEGY BEHIND MIDTERM BLITZ THAT WHITE HOUSE HOPES PAYS OFF BIG

The Trump PAC may even want to buy network time for an address, or it may simply allow social media to do its thing. A tight 15 minutes would play and play, give birth to ten thousand posts and reels and, crucially, focus the base and independent voters on the stakes, which are very high indeed.

President Trump has got a fine writing staff, but brevity is not second nature to him or them when it comes to speeches. If he does try such a direct appeal, the crucial points I hope he makes in succinct fashion are these:

TRUMP'S UNUSUAL ROLE AT MIDTERM CONVENTION REVEALED AS SCHEDULE GOES PUBLIC

1. Economists see the next few years as a boom for the nation. We can’t screw it up by ceding control of taxes and spending to Democrats. The 71 economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal this week predict continued and expanding economic growth, falling gas prices and tamed inflation ahead. "Morning in America" is beginning to dawn again.
2. Iran is defeated, but the mop-up will take some months, even though oil exports from the Middle East have risen to levels that exceed prewar levels. President Trump knows the scorecard on the battle by heart. He should repeat it again. The United States has decisively triumphed over the evil Iranian regime, and he will finish the job. It will be easier with Republican majorities.
3. The battle with Iran has demonstrated to the world the need for missile defense and a vibrant, modernized Navy. The president should emphasize his plans for both and warn that Democratic majorities present mortal threats to each.
4. "Medicare for All" is a clever way of saying "higher taxes, rationed healthcare, and diminished healthcare for seniors." President Trump should pledge again to stop efforts to pass Obamacare 2.0.
5. The only thing Democrats can agree on is a combination of obstruction and impeachment. Their commitment to weaponizing all of government and bringing back McCarthyism — this time aimed at every Trump supporter and not just him — is extremely strong. Democrats are unapologetically calling for these things, as well as for packing the Supreme Court and many other radical plans.
6. The Democrats have put forward the most radical set of candidates in American history. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota, Troy Jackson in Maine and James Talarico in Texas are all extremists camouflaged as Democrats. In Alaska, they have attempted to defeat the great Senator Dan Sullivan by running a "decoy Dan Sullivan" in an attempt to get leftist Mary Peltola over the finish line. Retreads like left-winger Sherrod Brown in Ohio should not replace the effective and able Jon Husted. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is exactly what Iowa needs. North Carolina should send Michael Whatley to Washington to continue his long-standing partnership with the president. These are easy choices when the big picture is set before voters, especially when they are reminded of just how far off the normal political map El-Sayed, Flanagan, Talarico and Troy Jackson are.

VOTERS PREPARE TO WEIGH-IN ON TRUMP'S ECONOMY AS COSTS CONTINUE TO SURGE

The president should explicitly ask voters to support Mike Rogers in Michigan, Michele Tafoya in Minnesota, Ken Paxton in Texas and Susan Collins in Maine. President Trump should note that Rogers and Tafoya are likely to be as independent-minded as Sen. Collins, who has often opposed presidential policies, but that all of them represent their states very well. 

States that are "light blue" or "light red" deserve senators that represent them, not Hamas or other extremist positions.

President Trump should close by reminding everyone of the mess he inherited. The once wide-open border is now completely closed and sealed tight, with the long-awaited wall nearing completion. Fraud in Minnesota, California and other blue states is being exposed and corrected. Inflation is way down from the 9.1% it reached under President Joe Biden but needs to go down further still, and President Trump and his economic team can get that done with support from Congress, not obstruction.

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And the evil regime in Iran that has terrorized the world for 47 years is on its last legs and wobbling. Its nuclear weapons program is obliterated and will not be allowed to be rebuilt. There is work to be done with our allies across the globe, but taking us down the impeachment road because the Democrats have no proposals to do anything else would be a disaster for everyone.

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"America’s Golden Age is indeed upon us," President Trump should conclude. "I need your vote, and so do these great Republican candidates. Please make a plan to vote and turn out. Thank you. God bless our troops everywhere, but especially in the blockade and at the bases around the Islamic radicals in Iran, and those confronting Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, and God bless the United States."

Hugh Hewitt is a Fox News contributor and host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show" heard weekday afternoons from 3 PM to 6 PM ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh drives Americans home on the East Coast and to lunch on the West Coast on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel’s news roundtable, hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcasting. This column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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WICHITA, Kan. - Voters at President Donald Trump's Kansas rally said the cost of living remains a major concern, but many feared Democratic control of Congress even more.

This midterm election cycle features six Republican-controlled Senate seats that are considered toss-ups, including Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall's contest against Democrat Adam Hamilton. That race has become an unexpected challenge for Republicans in their quest to keep control of the Senate.

And voters who lined up to get a chance to see Trump in Wichita told Fox News Digital that they recognized the stakes, particularly the effect Democrats flipping both chambers of Congress could have on the president's agenda.

SLEEPER SENATE RACE EMERGES AS UNEXPECTED HEADACHE FOR REPUBLICANS AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

"Trump doesn't get the support that he needs to protect America, and that our country will turn into Paris, France," Kathy Bond told Fox News Digital of the riots roiling through the French capital. "That's my biggest concern."

The race between Marshall and Hamilton, who led the Church of the Resurrection which now boasts a congregation of nearly 23,000, according to the church's website, before jumping into politics. The Cook Political Report recently shifted the race to a toss-up, sending Republicans scrambling to dump more money into the state.

Trump's rally in Kansas, the first time a sitting president has visited the Wichita area since former President George W. Bush in 2007, is part of his and Republicans' broader strategy to motivate Republican voters during a midterm election cycle in which he is not on the ballot.

National Republicans argue that without the loyal MAGA voting bloc, they won’t stand a chance as they face turbulent political headwinds.

THUNE MAKES BOLD PREDICTION ABOUT REPUBLICANS' SENATE CHANCES AS GOP PULLS MILLIONS FROM KEY RACES

Though voters are unhappy with the economy, the ones waiting in the long, snaking lines to get their seat inside the Heartland Credit Union Arena argued that Democratic control would be worse.

"We've got to vote Republican down the ballot this year. It's a significant point in the Trump administration," Emily told Fox News Digital. "And it's just we've got to keep the Republican majority. There's too much at stake."

Marshall, who is running for a second term in the upper chamber, recognized that the race was neck and neck and told Fox News Digital in an interview before the rally that "it's the price of gas" that has tightened the race.

"I do feel people's pain," Marshall said. "Every year I go to all 105 counties, finish up the 105 counties in June, and as that price of gas went up, I felt more and more frustration. So maybe we're up 12 points before the Iran War, and as the price went up our poll numbers went down, so I think it's the price of gas."

WOKE MEGACHURCH PASTOR, DEM NOMINEE CALLED FOR REPENTANCE OVER WHITE PRIVILEGE IN WAKE OF GEORGE FLOYD, BLM

"But I think people are beginning to realize the rest of the story, that if we were to lose this seat and let Democrats control the Senate, they would go back to their policies that drove gas prices up higher," he continued. "Even today, the price of gas is less on average under President Trump than it was under Joe Biden."

Some at the rally felt that Marshall should have to answer for his votes in the Senate but believed that his experience as a lawmaker overrode the uncertainty that the political newcomer Hamilton could bring should he win on Nov. 3.

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"I mean, you know, Marshall's been in it for a while now, so he's gonna have a lot of people that he has to answer a lot of questions to because he's the one been doing the job this whole time," Jenny told Fox News Digital.

"But for me, somebody like Hamilton that hasn't been in, you know, this game and doesn't really know exactly what all this entails," she continued. "I'm sure his intentions are good, but I just don't think that he has the background to do what's necessary for our state."

The chaos engulfing France is a preview of what Democrats want for America, Sen. Eric Schmitt warned, contrasting the unrest with new manufacturing jobs and a federal crime crackdown in Missouri that he credits to cooperation with the Trump administration.

"You see what’s happening in France. That’s exactly what they want here, the DSA Democrats," the Missouri Republican told Fox News Digital.

His warning comes as riots, fires and looting have swept France after protests over rising living costs and strained public services turned violent, prompting curfews in parts of Paris and other cities.

"I think the Democrat Party at this point is sort of post-American and anti-Western civilization," Schmitt said.

VIOLENT FAR-LEFT RIOTS IN FRANCE ARE 'CHILLING WARNING' FOR AMERICANS AT HOME, MIKE JOHNSON SAYS

With control of the House "up for grabs," Schmitt argued, Republicans need to make the stakes clear while showing voters what they have delivered.

INSIDE THE HOUSE GOP'S 4-WEEK BATTLE PLAN TO SAVE ITS MAJORITY

Asked what a Democratic House would mean for Trump’s agenda, Schmitt accused Democrats of obstructing Republican efforts on immigration, permitting reform and regulations.

'SQUAD' DEMOCRAT FORMALLY INTRODUCES BILL TO ABOLISH ICE, BORDER PATROL AND DISMANTLE DHS

He warned that Democratic control could jeopardize funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and revive what he described as the political weaponization of government under former President Joe Biden.

But Schmitt also argued Republicans need to give voters a reason to support them, pointing to jobs and public safety as areas where he says cooperation with the Trump administration is paying off.

KEY AMERICAN INDUSTRY SEEING BLUE-COLLAR JOBS BOOM AS TRUMP'S RE-SHORING POLICIES PAY OFF

In Missouri, he highlighted Boeing’s selection to build the Air Force’s F-47 and the Navy’s next-generation F/A-XX fighter as a potentially transformative investment in American manufacturing.

Boeing secured the Navy contract in September after winning the Air Force program last year.

BERNIE SANDERS ADMITS DEMOCRATS FAILED WORKING-CLASS VOTERS ON ECONOMICS, DRIVING THEM TO DONALD TRUMP

Schmitt, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the programs would mean 7,000 direct jobs, with additional opportunities for suppliers and surrounding businesses.

"It means that the goal we’ve been fighting for, which is that St. Louis is the defense tech capital of the United States of America, is coming true," he said.

TRUMP SAYS POLLS 'DON'T ACCOUNT FOR ONE THING,' AS HE PLEDGES TO DEFEAT COMMUNISTS 'ONCE AND FOR ALL'

Schmitt said he worked with Trump and administration officials to help land the programs, describing them as "generational opportunities" for Missouri workers.

"You think of the good-paying jobs that’s going to mean for generations to come, it’s just a game changer," he said.

He also tied the aircraft programs to the broader competition with China, saying the next generation of fighters would help meet military demands in the Pacific.

On public safety, Schmitt pointed to Operation Show Me Justice, an ATF-led enforcement surge that resulted in 435 arrests and the seizure of 166 firearms in St. Louis, according to the Justice Department.

Authorities also seized 81 kilograms of drugs and more than $1.25 million linked to suspected illegal gun and drug transactions during the operation, which officials announced had concluded Oct. 15.

Schmitt said his conversations with administration officials have carried a straightforward request for his hometown.

TRUMP’S LAW-AND-ORDER BLITZ MARKS ONE YEAR WITH EYE-POPPING HAUL OF SUSPECTS, GUNS IN BLUE CITY

"St. Louis, we need your help," he said.

The former Missouri attorney general described the toll of violence on families, including grandparents cleaning up broken glass and parents burying their children.

"We don’t need to accept this," he said. "We just don’t need to accept the idea that violent crime needs to be in the headlines every single day."

He pledged the effort would continue beyond the surge.

"This isn’t a one-and-done deal. There are more resources coming," Schmitt said.

OMAR'S NEW LEGISLATION TARGETING ICE SPARKS OUTRAGE WHEN THE INTERNET SEES WHAT'S IN IT: 'UN-AMERICAN'

For families wanting to send children safely to school, visit a park or attend a Cardinals game downtown, he said the goal is a better quality of life.

"I think the message is help is on the way, and there are real tangible results now, not just rhetoric, not just empty promises," Schmitt said.

"We’re not letting up."

Schmitt’s third major priority is modernizing St. Louis Lambert International Airport, an effort he linked to the region’s aerospace growth and aviation history.

His Modern Skies Act would fund improvements to air traffic control technology, towers and airport terminals. He said midsize airports need help securing investments that larger hubs can more readily finance.

"St. Louis is the gateway to the West," he said. "It deserves a world-class airport."

The proposal remains a legislative push rather than a guaranteed funding award for Lambert. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during an October visit that airport funding would be competitive.

For Schmitt, those priorities form part of the argument Republicans need to make as voters weigh control of Congress.

He cast the election as "common sense versus crazy," but cautioned that Republicans cannot assume their supporters will show up.

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"I just don’t think you can take anything for granted," Schmitt said. "I think we have to fight for every vote and tell an important story."

"I think if we do that, we’re gonna hold on to the Senate, and the House is up for grabs."

As gas prices climb amid the conflict with Iran, some of President Donald Trump's most loyal supporters say they're willing to pay more at the pump if it means keeping Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon — even with the midterm elections just two weeks away.

"If you're really a good American, you'll be thinking not for yourself or how much you're spending for gas. But what life is going to be like for your children, your grandchildren and great-grandchildren," one voter told Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening. 

"What will they grow up to? You have to keep those people in the political regime in Iran without a nuclear weapon. If we don't do something now, isn't that worth paying another dollar a gallon?" 

Fox News Digital spoke with several voters following Trump's Tuesday rally at Pitt-Greenville Airport about rising gas prices, the upcoming midterm elections and the ongoing war with Iran, which has sent oil prices surging and added to Americans' affordability concerns.

VOTERS PREPARE TO WEIGH-IN ON TRUMP'S ECONOMY AS COSTS CONTINUE TO SURGE

"Things haven't changed much since Sleepy Joe," another local voter, Shauna, told Fox News Digital about former President Joe Biden. "At least prices. ... But [Trump is] doing the best he can with what he has. Because, you know, he's not Congress. He can only pass so much."

Another rallygoer told Fox News Digital that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was worth the cost of higher gas prices for American drivers.

TRUMP VOTERS SAY COSTS ARE CRUSHING THEIR WALLETS — BUT LOOK PAST PRESIDENT FOR BLAME

"We believed in what he [Trump] was saying and what he stood for," local voter Michael told Fox News Digital. "And you hear people today saying, 'Y'all wanted to get politicians out of Washington.' ... We got a businessman in. [He] never claimed to be a politician. He's a businessman.

"Even with the gas prices up for what he's done in Iran," he added. "To me [that] is worth the high gas prices. I'll take that any day to stop a country like Iran and take that nuclear power away. That's a no-brainer, you know. Now, will the gas prices come down? Absolutely. They will come down because of what he's done."

IRAN ‘MISCALCULATING’ BY BETTING ON MIDTERMS AFTER 3-HOUR TALKS, TRUMP OFFICIALS WARN

Another Trump supporter, Steve, told Fox News Digital he would encourage other Americans to vote for GOP candidates despite high prices.

"It would take an act of God to lower prices before this election is over," he said. "But I highly stress to everybody to vote Republican like you are voting like it's the most important election in your lifetime. Because in many instances, it actually is."

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Trump has maintained that the ongoing war with Iran is a "small price to pay" to keep the nation safe.

The president has been crisscrossing the country in the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, rallying his supporters in an effort to boost Republican candidates and help the GOP retain control of Congress. His North Carolina stop was aimed in part at bolstering Republican Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who is facing former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

FREMONT, Neb. — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is predicting Republicans will outperform the polls and retain their narrow Senate majority, even as GOP-aligned groups pull millions of dollars from struggling candidates and redirect resources to races that have suddenly become more competitive.

Thune has been crisscrossing the country campaigning for vulnerable Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 election. He’s confident that they can hold onto their slim, 53-to-47-seat majority in the Senate but acknowledges that the GOP as a whole faces headwinds.

And as Election Day inches closer and closer, several contests across the country have tightened, like in Kansas, while others may be slipping away from Republicans, like in North Carolina or Georgia.

DEMOCRATS THINK A BLUE WAVE IS BUILDING. HERE ARE 3 FORCES THAT COULD STOP IT

Thune, in an interview with Fox News Digital on the trail supporting Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., was still optimistic about the GOP’s chances.

"I think there are a lot of races right now just looking at the polling that are up for grabs," Thune said. "I mean you could call them jump balls, however you want to say it. They're margin of error races, and there are some that are maybe a little out of the margin. But I do think the polling right now, like it has been in past elections, under-reflects the Republican vote."

"And I think you'll see some of that. So we're not giving up on any of them," he continued.

Republicans are hoping to defend six toss-up races this cycle, according to Cook Political Report. And several that earlier appeared as safe bets, like Mississippi and South Carolina, have recently shifted more favorably towards Democrats.

12 RACES SCRAMBLE SENATE BATTLEFIELD AS DEMOCRATS EYE COMEBACK

The flow of campaign cash has been staggering during this midterm cycle, with Republican political action committees (PACs) and outside groups dumping hundreds of millions of dollars in key races across the country.

But where the money is being shifted could be more telling.

Earlier this month, the Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC closely aligned with Thune, moved money from Georgia to Kansas, where Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is locked in one of the more unexpected toss-up contests of the cycle.

The Senate Leadership Fund had initially pledged $44 million to bolster Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in his quest to topple Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. But the incumbent first-term senator has been raking in campaign donations and consistently led Collins in polling.

DEMOCRATS SEE NEW CHANCES TO FLIP RED STATES — BUT A $400M GOP SPENDING ADVANTAGE COULD DERAIL THEIR PLANS

And in North Carolina, where former Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Michael Whatley is running to keep retiring Sen. Thom Tillis’ seat red against former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, outside funding has begun to dissipate.

The Senate Leadership Fund similarly pulled back nearly all of its spending in the state earlier this month, a sign that confidence in Whatley’s ability to best Cooper was waning. Even President Donald Trump, who held a rally for Whatley on Tuesday, is worried about the race.

"I think he’s a great man, and I am worried about him," Trump told reporters earlier this month. "I hope he wins. He was a great leader for the whole Republican Party when I won, and he’d be a great senator."

Meanwhile, Thune was still bullish that Republicans could hold on, but ultimately, it would come down to getting the "low propensity, particularly Trump, voters out, and then you've got to work on winning the middle of the electorate."

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"Turnout's going to be a big part of whether or not we're successful or not. And in every state I've been in, that is a clear-eyed focus of our candidates," Thune said.

"That's where resources are being invested. And I think that could be the difference for us come Election Day on whether or not we win a lot of these close races or not," he continued. "And I think that we're gonna outperform the polls for sure come Election Day."

EXCLUSIVE: The top House Republican overseeing Europe policy is blaming the riots roiling French cities on mass migration, and warning the U.S. could soon follow suit.

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that he was not surprised by the violent demonstrations across France — and moreover, argued they were a long time coming.

"They've been allowing this to happen for years and years, so they are reaping what they sowed," Self said. "We're also trying to get a handle on our mass migration consequences, just like France should have done years ago. That's why I say this is a lesson to America. We are watching the future of America in France and the U.K., frankly."

Self is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also a co-founder alongside Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, of the Sharia-Free America Caucus.

VIOLENT FAR-LEFT RIOTS IN FRANCE ARE 'CHILLING WARNING' FOR AMERICANS AT HOME, MIKE JOHNSON SAYS

Democrats have criticized the group as Islamophobic, and it's been condemned by groups like the U.S. Council of Muslim Organizations.

But Self doubled down on his beliefs, suggesting France's growing Muslim population is at least partially responsible for the riots.

"They've got, what, 7% now are Muslims in France? And, you know, when you reach that percentage — and very concentrated in some large cities — that gives you the tipping point that everybody talks about," he argued.

Islam is the second-most popular religion in metropolitan France among people aged 18 to 59 after Catholicism, according to the country's National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.

ITALY’S SCHOOL VEIL BAN EXPOSES EUROPE’S ASSIMILATION FIGHT AS EXPERT WARNS US COULD BE NEXT

He said later: "This is what you get when you think that everyone is culturally and morally equivalent. They're not. And at some point, you have got to make the decision: Are we going to defend a Christian heritage in France, or are we not?"

It comes after multiple days of violent protests and riots across France that have seen stores looted and centuries-old buildings burned and desecrated.

France's secular centrist government has blamed far-left groups for exacerbating tension over high living costs and expensive education, among other issues.

Self argued France was in an open "civil war" and said its military should step in, but was pessimistic that it would.

WHO'S WHO: INSIDE FRANCE'S 'CHAOS INC.' FRANCHISE OF COMMUNIST GROUPS, LABOR UNIONS AND GLOBAL ACTIVISTS

"There's too much destruction now, so we'll see if they've got the gumption to send in the military. But if they don't, then they're very close to losing their culture in the large cities," he said.

Asked if the turmoil should force French President Emmanuel Macron to step down, Self said, "That's up to Macron. I think it would probably be beneficial to France."

But he maintained the chaos should not turn into a backlash against the U.S.-France relationship — in fact, Self said, the U.S. ought to help France with intelligence-gathering about the protests.

"I think we probably ought to offer them what help we could, facial identification, whatever," Self said, clarifying that he did not mean sending Americans in person. "France is still a very important, very large ally and partner. So we need to do what we can, understanding that, you know, President Trump has tried to get them to step up and do more. But this is not the time to abandon France."

LIMOGES TOWN HALL 'LARGELY LOST' AFTER FAR-LEFT RIOTERS SET HISTORIC BUILDING ON FIRE AMID FRENCH UNREST

More than 500,000 people took to the streets in various cities and towns across France this weekend. French authorities said 1,800 people were arrested nationwide, with over 800 of those arrested in the capital city of Paris alone.

In addition to photos and videos of French heritage sites in flames, images showing some protesters carrying Algerian, Palestinian and Moroccan flags have led figures on the right to blame France's immigration policies.

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The Louvre Museum in Paris announced Monday that it would be closed "for the time being" due to the protests.

Have Americans got such short memories that they’ve forgotten the damage done by Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats just two-plus years ago? Do they really want to go down the path of open borders, high crime and suffocating cancel culture all over again?

That’s what’s in store if Republicans stay home on Election Day. Democrats are campaigning on mythical "affordability" measures, but mainly they talk about opposing Donald Trump. Why? Because their policies are unpopular or unworkable and they know it.

If they recover the majority in Congress, Democrats will spend time reversing the gains Trump has made on securing the border, growing our domestic energy output and suppressing the injurious DEI programs that Biden introduced.

HOUSE DEMS PLOT TRUMP INVESTIGATION BLITZ IF THEY SEIZE MAJORITY

Moreover, they will immediately start "investigating" President Trump. They’ll hire Hollywood producers to film their outrage, just as they did after the January 6 riots. As in 2021, if the GOP retains control of the Senate, impeachment efforts will be stymied, but Democrats won’t care.

The only mystery is which Republican in the sequel will play Liz Cheney, the anti-Trumper who sanctimoniously betrayed her party in trying to impeach the president.

DEMOCRATS SAY THEY'LL MAKE LIFE AFFORDABLE. YOUR WALLET MAY DISAGREE

Democrats will waste time and money attacking Donald Trump because hating the president is literally the only thing gluing the party together. Voters will wait in vain for their newly-minted representatives to "fix" affordability, their principal campaign promise, because the far Left and more moderate Democrats cannot possibly agree on how to proceed.

Medicare for All? Good luck getting that perennial fantasy by union-loving Democrats. Members of the UAW or the AFL-CIO know how great their healthcare benefits are and will fight tooth and nail any attempt to take them away. An organizing memo from last year puts it best: "UAW members like those at General Motors’ Spring Hill Manufacturing plant pay no premiums for the family plan, have no deductible, and have limited co-pays with a maximum of $25." You think Uncle Sam is going to do better?

Make housing more affordable? The New Democrat Coalition, a centrist group of legislators, wants to: "Cut red tape and update permitting and zoning to build four million homes in the next decade", sounding a lot like Trump, who has prioritized permitting reform for years. They also back "innovative construction technologies to accelerate home production."

The first proposal will run smack into the environmentalists who have pushed housing costs through the roof in Democrat-run states like California and New York. According to a study by Realtor.com, there are only 11 states in which, using the 30% housing-cost threshold, a median-income household can afford the median-priced home. All but two voted for Trump in 2024. The most affordable housing in the country is in Iowa; the least affordable is in New York.

The second idea, which is smart, will alienate union voters who hate any innovation that might eliminate jobs (see longshoreman settlement 2025.)

Another big expense on the ballot in November is energy costs, which Democrats have promised to bring down. Returning to the New Democrat Coalition, accelerated permitting is again on the menu to facilitate building "energy transmission and generation infrastructure." Also touted is ensuring energy is "abundant and available" through "establishing a level playing field for all forms of energy." That’s code for eliminating what the Left considers unnecessary tax breaks for oil and gas companies and ramping up taxpayer-funded subsidies for renewables like wind and solar. Democrats also promise to protect consumers from price hikes driven by data centers, an issue which should be solved at the local level and not by Washington bureaucrats.

The coalition fails to prioritize exploiting America’s enormous reserves of fossil fuels, which over time will guarantee affordable energy. Joe Biden did his best to squash climbing oil and gas production, by canceling or delaying lease sales, drilling permits and the XL Pipeline, raising fees on production and taking promising acreage off the table. The anti-oil war waged by the Biden White House, beholden to the green lobby, was a costly hit to U.S. national security and our economy. Blocking new production, like in Alaska, will inevitably lead to higher oil prices. We cannot let that happen.

Yes, we need faster permitting of the build-out of the electric grid, and, yes, we should embrace an "all of the above" energy program. That is not what the Left will allow.

Progressives like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani aim to make life more affordable by having the government provide "free" housing, childcare and other services. He and his young followers do not understand that greater government involvement all but guarantees inefficiency and higher costs. Look at higher education. Billions of taxpayer dollars have funded kids wanting to go to college; tuition costs have soared way above the rate of inflation, and the value of the diploma has cratered.

Also, of course, nothing is free. The Left wants to tax the rich and businesses, but corporations will pass the higher levies along via price increases, and higher-income Americans will decamp to lower-tax locales, as is happening in New York.

Meanwhile, government spending on entitlements and benefits has driven our national debt to $40 trillion, pushing interest rates and mortgage costs higher. Under President Joe Biden, spending exploded to levels commensurate with World War II; it remains at unsustainable levels. The Trump White House has put some limits on Medicaid and other expensive programs — limits Democrats will surely race to eliminate — and is trying to root out hundreds of billions in fraudulent payments. Much more needs to be done, but Democrats have zero appetite for cutting spending.

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Instead, Democrats will offer up programs that will inflate our national debt even more. Consider the price tag for Medicare-for-all, estimated to cost a staggering $25 to $35 trillion over the next ten years. And that’s just one item on their to-do list.

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Voters should not be fooled: Democrats will not lower prices. They cannot.

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A top Senate Republican warned that the same voting bloc that has propelled the GOP to power over the last decade is at risk of turning its back on the party during this election cycle.

For decades, White, working-class voters often aligned themselves with the Democratic Party, giving Democrats a stranglehold on Congress until the 1990s and often favoring the Democratic candidate atop the presidential ticket.

President Donald Trump’s entrance onto the political scene and victory in 2016 solidified a shift that was years in the making, giving Republicans a strong base of working-class support. But with the state of the economy, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, a top ally of Trump’s on Capitol Hill, warned that the GOP’s steady base could head for the exits.

FOX NEWS POLL: SQUEEZED BY COSTS, FRUSTRATED VOTERS TURN TO THE DEMOCRATS

"This is the whole deal," Moreno told Fox News Digital. "It's the whole deal. If we don't hang on to those working-class voters, we're dead as a party. That's why I say with no hyperbole, if President Trump hadn’t won in 2016, the Republican Party would be dead. Because the Republican Party had abandoned working-class Americans."

"Ironically, the Democrats abandoned working Americans, and there was a void — President Trump filled it," he continued. "That's why he won."

Trump has consistently performed highly with White, working-class voters each time he has run for office, scoring between 66% and 67% of their vote between 2016 and 2024, according to a variety of exit polls.

REDISTRICTING GIVES REPUBLICANS AN EDGE, BUT AFFORDABILITY WILL DECIDE THE MIDTERMS

Some Democrats acknowledged that after the 2024 election, their party had a problem with engaging the working class. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., circulated a memo that urged Democrats to embrace economic populism following stunning losses across the gamut of power in Washington.

"No one, including me, has all the answers right now, but what we know for certain is that Democrats must reclaim our identity as the party of the working class," Murphy wrote.

Still, Republicans are facing political headwinds heading into this midterm election cycle, in which affordability issues are dominating headlines and voters’ concerns.

FOX NEWS POLL: MOST RATE THE ECONOMY NEGATIVELY, INCLUDING HALF OF REPUBLICANS

Trump and the GOP again rose to be the dominant party in Washington, D.C., after the 2024 election by pitching a message to rectify the economy that the president charged was "destroyed" by former President Joe Biden.

But a Fox News poll published earlier this month found that nearly 60% of voters said that their top concern was the economy. A separate Fox News poll published in May found that 67% of White voters without a college degree disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy.

Republicans have hit the trail this fall pitching their economic successes, particularly from the colossal "big, beautiful bill" and trying to instill in voters that the cost of fuel, for example, is only temporary as the war with Iran continues.

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Moreno, however, argued that working-class voters "hate" the war.

"They obviously hate gas prices because, look, they're already struggling. I mean, you talk to some of these working Americans, they're an engine failure in their vehicle away from bankruptcy, and that's a disaster."

"So, I think what we have to do is explain, this is a very, very necessary thing that had to happen," he continued. "Iran was attacking us for 47 years, and we didn't take him out. They would have used a nuclear weapon. I don't know that that case is penetrated enough, and this gas price situation will be very temporary."