US President Donald Trump turned his Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas into a showcase for his trademark political rhetoric on Wednesday, suggesting the Strait of Hormuz should be renamed the “Trump Strait” as he sought to rally voters behind the GOP ahead of the November elections.“I think we should call the Hormuz Strait the Trump Strait. I should get something out of it. The Trump Strait,” Trump told the crowd, referring to the strategically vital waterway amid heightened tensions with Iran.Trump also renewed his pitch for renaming Lake Ontario claiming that the water body should be called “Lake America” and suggesting New Mexico could become “New America”. “Canada very much wants to make a deal. They’re dying to make a deal. But it’s going to be called Lake America,” he said.The remarks came as Trump used his keynote address to make a broader pitch for Republican candidates and his administration’s record. He urged supporters to treat the upcoming midterms as though he himself were on the ballot, despite not being eligible to seek another presidential term.“If we hand America’s future to the radical-left Democrats, our nation will spend the next decade just getting back on its feet,” Trump said. “Vote Republican and we will leave the world in our dust for generations to come.”Trump said there were around 35 key Senate and House races and pledged to campaign across the states involved, promising, “We’re gonna have rallies just like this.”He also highlighted his administration’s tax policies, including “No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and No Tax on Social Security”, while claiming that the US had attracted more than $20 trillion in foreign investment.“This has been the most successful two years financially and every other way in the history of the presidency,” Trump said.The president also defended Senate Majority Leader John Thune after the Texas crowd booed him, saying, “No, no. John is working hard. He’s got great opposition.”Trump separately praised Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is facing a competitive Senate race, while acknowledging criticism of his appearance and speaking style. “He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen,” Trump said, before adding that Paxton “deserves to be your next senator.”
