President Donald Trump offered a not-very warm welcome to Sen. Martha McSally on Wednesday at his campaign rally in Arizona, where McSally, also a Republican, is fighting to hold on to her seat.
After saying she was "respected by everybody" and "great," Trump rushed McSally to the stage at an airport rally in Goodyear to say a few words.
"Martha, just come up fast. Fast. Fast. Come on. Quick. You got one minute! One minute, Martha! They don’t want to hear this, Martha. Come on. Let’s go. Quick, quick, quick. Come on. Let’s go," Trump said.
McSally spoke for just over a minute, and said she was "proud" to work with the president — something a moderator could not get her say during her debate with Democratic challenger Mark Kelly earlier this month.
After McSally spoke, Trump called up a trio of politicians from out of state to speak — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. Of the three, only McCarthy, the House Republican leader, is running for re-election in November. All spoke longer than McSally did — as did another guest speaker Trump called on, Nigel Farage of Britain's Brexit party. Trump did not rush any of those four.
Polling in Arizona has shown McSally consistently behind Kelly. Earlier Wednesday, McSally published an op-ed article in which she said she will vote for Trump. She had long asserted that she has the right to a "secret ballot" when asked if she's voting for him.
Trump told reporters during another trip to Arizona last week that he thought McSally was "doing fine" and that he didn't think their fates in the state were tied together.
"I think we're very separated, but we support each other fully," he said. "But I’ve never been a believer that somebody — that you’re tied together. I don’t — I don’t believe that. I know I’m doing very well. I don’t know what her numbers are. I haven’t looked. But I hope she does well."
McSally was appointed to her seat in 2018 by Gov. Doug Ducey after Sen. Jon Kyl announced he was retiring.
The Washington Post reported last week that Trump told donors at a fundraiser it was going to be "very tough" for Republicans to keep control of the Senate because there were some he'd have a hard time supporting.
"There are a couple senators I can't really get involved in. I just can't do it. You lose your soul if you do," an attendee quoted him as saying.
