At a rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on October 3, 2026, for Sen. Jon Husted and gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump said he had signed a disaster declaration for the state the day before at the request of Ohio Republicans, then suggested he would be less willing to help if Democrats won. FEMA records show a major disaster declaration for Ohio, DR-4945, issued October 2 for severe storms and flooding. According to C-SPAN's transcript of the speech, Trump said that “when you are president, you have a lot of power over states,” described Ohio's Republican senators as always asking for money, and said of the Democratic nominee for governor, Amy Acton: “She's never going to call me. I'm never probably going to work the same way. You just can't. It's just human nature, but I'm not going to help her. Probably.”
Reuters, in a report published by CNBC, quoted him as saying “But I'm not going to help her,” without the word “Probably,” and reported he said he “would be less inclined to accommodate Democrats if they win key races.” No aid has been withheld. At the same rally Trump predicted “a big surprise” in the midterms and said, “If you do that, we're going to win, and we're going to win big. And we're going to shove it up their ass,” NBC News reported.
In September Trump said Helene relief money would not go to North Carolina if Michael Whatley lost his Senate race, before saying he was “only kidding” (see Trump Tells a North Carolina Crowd He Will Not Send More Helene Money if His Senate Candidate Loses, Then Says He Is 'Only Kidding', Trump Overruled His Own Agencies, Which Had Approved Disaster Aid, to Deny It to Four States That Voted Against Him and Trump Denies $227 Million in Blizzard Aid to Four Blue States Two Days After Approving Aid for Six Red Ones).