Trump in Lubbock: Iran War Ends 'Whenever I Want,' Texas Must Not Turn Down Data Centers, and Paxton Takes the Stage

LUBBOCK - President Donald Trump took the stage at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center just before 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday to chants of "USA," tossing red Make America Great Again hats to the crowd as Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" played, USA Today reported in its live coverage. "Hello Texas, I've been all over the place all day long," he told the crowd, in his second Texas rally of the day after Corpus Christi. "There's one week left," he said of the midterm campaign. "I did more rallies than I've ever done for myself. It's much easier, you know, when you do them for yourself."

On the war that has shadowed the whole campaign, Trump said the Iran war will be over whenever he wants it to be - but on his terms. "It could be over whenever I want it to be over," he said in Lubbock, adding that it has to "end properly" with a "total statement" that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. He said this week that it is "getting to be decision time" on resuming attacks or making a deal with Iran, and he has said repeatedly on the trail that he expects the eight-month war to conclude immediately after the midterm elections.

Trump spoke at length on energy production, boasting about Texas' prowess in the oil and gas industry and warning that electing Democrats could threaten energy independence, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported. He also reiterated his support for AI data center development, telling the packed civic center that "Texas should not be in a position where they're not doing them." "You have a lead that's so great, you don't want to lose it," he said, encouraging Texans to keep allowing data centers and to have developers invest in their communities. "Don't turn them down because someone else is going to take them and you'll be very unhappy in the long run." Earlier in the program, Border Patrol Council president Paul Perez took the stage to back an all-Republican ticket, and a person was reportedly removed from the hall, drawing a Trump comment about "paid protestors" and praise that "your law enforcement acts very quickly."

Shortly after 6:45 p.m., Trump brought Ken Paxton onto the stage, having earlier praised him as the greatest attorney general in Texas history. Paxton told the crowd he had enjoyed traveling with Trump through two Texas rallies in one day, starting in Corpus Christi, and noted that Trump reminded him he does not typically host two rallies for a candidate in a day - which, Paxton said, means he must like him. "Mr. President, I really like you, too," Paxton said. Trump stressed his support for Paxton and for other statewide Republican candidates, including Gov. Greg Abbott. The Texas Senate race remains in a dead heat a week before the November 3 election, according to an average of recent polling by Real Clear Politics, with control of the Senate - now held by Republicans 53-47 - in the balance.