President Donald Trump delivered a blunt message to voters about the 2026 midterm elections, asking Americans to view the November contest as a referendum on his presidency even though he will not personally appear on the ballot.

“So I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump said. “I’m on the ballot. I’m on it!”

Trump then warned voters that losing congressional support could jeopardize policies he says his administration has pursued during his second term.

“Just one more time, because if we lose, you’re going to lose your border. You’re going to lose your tax cuts. You’re going to lose your safety and security. You’re going to lose your wealth,” Trump said. “Our country is going through hell.”

Trump continued by contrasting the current situation with the period before he returned to the White House.

“We will be going through hell just like you did just two years ago. We went through hell,” Trump said. “Well, we were a laughingstock all over the world.”

He argued that the United States is now being treated differently internationally, saying, “They don’t laugh at us anymore, do they? They don’t laugh. But that’s what would happen.”

Trump also criticized his political opponents and the media, saying, “The pundits, the fake news media, and the radical left communists will say anything they can to try and stop us.”

He concluded his appeal by emphasizing Republican unity heading into November.

“But in this election, all that matters is that we are united. We are together. And what we say counts!” Trump said.

The message comes as Republicans gather in Dallas for the party’s first national convention specifically organized around a midterm election. The two-day event is centered on Trump, his administration’s record and Republican candidates seeking to maintain the party’s congressional majorities.

Trump has been making the “pretend I’m on the ballot” argument for weeks. At an August rally in South Carolina, he similarly urged supporters to vote as though he were running, saying that Republicans have faced lower turnout when he himself was not a candidate.

The November 3 elections will determine control of the House and Senate and will decide how much congressional support Trump has during the second half of his current term. With Trump making himself a central part of the Republican campaign message, his latest appeal puts his administration and record directly at the center of the midterm contest.