President Donald Trump made zero comments about a Republican hopeful in the upcoming Virginia governor's race and "did not mention her name," instead praising the U.S. Navy during a Sunday speech.
The rare move to avoid a potential political opportunity could be because his party is not leading in that race, which is viewed as a temperature check on his leadership and considered a referendum on the Trump administration, according to The Washington Post.
Polls and fundraising show that Democrat Abigail Spanberger is leading, drawing more than twice the amount of fundraising money as her opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
Earle-Sears was apparently eager to see Trump, but still has not yet secured an endorsement from the president ahead of the Nov. 4 election, an unnamed source affiliated with the campaign told The Post.
"Some Republicans have criticized Earle-Sears for running an eccentric and low-key campaign," The Post reports.
Trump spoke to the sailors after staying quiet for several days following his speech to military brass that reportedly left him "rattled."
“This is a rally,” Trump said, speaking on a stage positioned between two warships. “This is sort of a rally, let’s face it.”
Trump attempted to make partisan comments, but didn't gain large support; instead, cheers emerged when he talked about supporting pay raises for the sailors. Sailors are expected to be paid on Oct. 15, but that could stall if the ongoing government shutdown continues and talks don't happen between Democrats and Republicans.
“Despite the current Democrat-induced shutdown, we will get our service members every last penny,” Trump said.
After Trump left Virginia, a state with more than 320,000 federal workers, he announced on his Truth Social platform more layoffs for federal workers, The Post reports.