Trump pleads with GOP to ‘pretend’ he’s on the ballot as his political capital is on the line | CNN Politics

So read the signs at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, where President Donald Trump rallied on Friday for the sister of his late friend, Sen. Lindsey Graham. Tuesday’s Republican runoff — between appointed Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman — will test the power of Trump’s endorsement after several of his candidates have come up short in recent primaries and ahead of a November midterm election where the GOP is banking on the base to help defend its congressional majorities. With turnout on the line, Trump understood his assignment, touting Graham as a “very special person” whom he asked to run for her brother’s seat. But he conceded that voters may not be as enthused about a midterm election, encouraging them to just “pretend” he’s on the ballot this year. “The problem that we have, is they say that Trump does great when he’s on the ballot. But when he’s not on the ballot, his people don’t come, and they don’t vote for senators, congressmen and other Republicans,” the president said. “So, what I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot,” he implored. Trump told the crowd he was in a “very good mood,” employ