School choice, investments, crime reduction: Trump touts his policies in Mississippi

Donald Trump led a campaign rally in Corinth, Mississippi. With one week to go before the midterm elections, the president endorsed Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, who is facing a more competitive race than anticipated. According to Action News 5 (WMC), it was the first visit by a sitting president to that city since Franklin D. Roosevelt visited.

On Monday night, Trump continued his tour of various states in the run-up to the elections. This week he will also visit Texas, Ohio, South Carolina and Florida.

This time, the event took place at the Crossroads Arena in Mississippi, where Senator Hyde-Smith is seeking another term in the Senate against Scott Colom, whose campaign has generated enthusiasm among Democrats across the country. The last time a Democrat won a Senate election in the state was in 1982, when John Stennis defeated Haley Barbour.

Trump promotes his policies in Mississippi

During his speech, Trump primarily highlighted his school choice policies. As part of the Tax Cuts for Working Families Act, the president introduced a school choice program that will take effect in January 2027, which Mississippi has joined.

He also praised the state's Republicans for the progress made in recent years in education: "Under Republican leadership, Mississippi has gone from having the worst ranked schools in the nation to among the best ranked schools in the nation!"

In 2013, the state ranked near the bottom in fourth-grade reading. By 2024, it had risen to ninth place in reading, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

In addition, the president celebrated a $125 million investment announced by Toyota to expand production at its Blue Springs plant.

Trump also used his speech to highlight the latest crime statistics released by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which show a decline in serious violent crime during 2025. "Just today, it was announced by the Department of Justice that last year we had over 100,000 fewer rapes, 170,000 fewer robberies, half a million fewer burglaries and almost 700,000 fewer violent crimes than when I took office," he continued.

The data are preliminary estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), compiled by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the nation's primary source of information on criminal victimization, including crimes reported and unreported to the police.