President Donald Trump rallied thousands of cheering supporters Monday night in Cape Girardeau, offering closing arguments for the Republican Party before today's crucial midterm elections to decide the balance of power in Congress.

More than 7,000 people, many of them standing, crammed into the Show Me Center for Trump's "Make America Great Again" rally.

Thousands stood in line for hours outside the Show Me Center, braving rain and wind to get an opportunity to see the president. Doors were scheduled to open at 6 p.m., but opened earlier because of the weather.

The Cape Girardeau event was the last of 11 rallies conducted by Trump over the past week.

Trump brought along some star power with him, including nationally known conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, and country music star Lee Greenwood.

The president also brought up several women to the stage, including his daughter Ivanka Trump, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and Fox News host Jeanine Pirro.

Conservative radio and television commentator Sean Hannity also briefly took the stage.

Trump used the rally to campaign for Republican Josh Hawley, who is seeking to unseat U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill in Missouri. The race is considered a toss-up.

Hawley told a cheering crowd, "Isn't it incredible that President Donald Trump is in Southeast Missouri."

Hawley said, "President Trump is securing our border. President Trump lowered your taxes."

Trump urged Republicans to get out and vote.

He painted Democrats as the party for "open borders." Letting in illegal immigrants would lead to more crime, Trump said.

Democrats, he said, want to make America a sanctuary for illegal immigrants. "Republicans want a sanctuary for law-abiding citizens."

Trump said, "We have to have borders. Without borders, we don't have a country. ... Democrats immigration policies are dangerous, reckless, insane."

The president said the nation's economy is booming, "setting records on a daily basis."

Referring to his "Make America Great Again" slogan, Trump said it's time for a new slogan, "Keep America Great."

Throughout his more than hourlong speech, the crowd several times interrupted the president with cheers and chants of "four more years."

Trump told the crowd, "We are one people, one family and one glorious nation under God. And together with love in our hearts and hope in our souls, we will make America wealthy again." During the rally, Trump paused as emergency medical personnel treated a woman in the audience.

After several minutes, the crowd began singing "Amazing Grace."

Before the rally, speakers energized the crowd.

U.S. Rep. Jason Smith said the president chose to spend the night with Cape Girardeau "because he loves each and every one of you out here."

Smith noted that the last sitting Republican president to visit Cape Girardeau was Ronald Reagan more than 30 years ago, and he too visited the Show Me Center.

And, Smith said, Reagan said the liberals had become the party of no: no to low taxes, constitutionally minded judges, spending cuts, and standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

"This is what Reagan said in this arena 30 years ago. Boy, things haven't changed much, have they? That's why we have Donald Trump," Smith said, and the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

Gov. Mike Parson then took the stage with wife Teresa Parson, whom he introduced and commended for the good job she's doing as First Lady of Missouri.

"He's keeping the promises he made to us," Gov. Parson said of Trump.

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel spoke on the importance of turning out to vote in today's election.

Air Force One touched down at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport just before 8:30 p.m. Monday, and Trump deplaned shortly after.

He stepped into a waiting vehicle, and did not give remarks at the airport to a crowd of supporters who had waited for hours to see him.

Attendees arrived early outside the Show Me Center, including Rebekah DuBois, who had arrived at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Mike Boatman arrived at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. He said he was the third person in line. Boatman said this was his fifth rally to attend, the fourth since Trump became president.

Boatman said he travels around to rallies: "I plan to do a lot more with the re-election campaign."

Ken Barten of Arnold, Missouri, displayed his Oath Keepers membership identification card outside the Show Me Center Monday while waiting for the rally.

Barten said Monday's rally was his 25th time attending a Trump event. He said he enjoys the president's rallies because "when you're out in public, it's really hard to be a conservative Republican ... you meet people (at Trump rallies) and you can talk to them. I'm willing to stand here and have a debate. You might not agree on everything, but you can disagree and shake hands and walk away. People today have forgotten how to talk to each other."

Joe Svoboda of Festus, Missouri, was born in Czechoslovakia and said he came to the U.S. 32 years ago and became a citizen five years later.

Svoboda said he wanted to attend the rally because he supports many of the president's policy positions, including those on gun rights and immigration.

"I'm a Christian first, a father second and an American third," he said. He described his political affiliation as "constitutionalist," which he defined as, "government, get the heck out of my life."

Southeast Missourian staff members Tyler Graef, Joshua Hartwig and Kassi Jackson contributed to this article.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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