Trump Renews Marques Endorsement, Calls Figures ‘Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous’ as 2nd District Race Enters Final Week

President Donald Trump stepped up his involvement in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District race on Monday, Oct. 26, renewing his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques and branding Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures “Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous” eight days before voters go to the polls.

Figures answered within hours, accusing Marques of asking the president for help because he is “in big trouble.” Later Monday, the congressman challenged Marques to condemn remarks Trump made about rapper Nicki Minaj at a Michigan campaign rally, and Marques responded by attacking Figures’ record instead.

The back-and-forth capped a day of sharp exchanges in one of the most closely watched U.S. House races in the country. Both national parties have placed the seat near the top of their target lists in the fight for control of the House, and the winner will be decided Tuesday, Nov. 3.

What Trump said

In a Truth Social post, Trump praised Marques, a state representative from Enterprise, as an “America First Patriot.”

“It is my Great Honor to endorse America First Patriot, Rhett Marques, who is running to represent the wonderful people of Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District,” Trump wrote. “Rhett is strongly supported by many of the Greatest MAGA Warriors in Alabama, including my friend, U.S. Senator Katie Britt, among others!”

Trump called Marques “a Highly Respected State Representative, Businessman, and Civic Leader” who “has dedicated his life to serving his Community,” and listed the priorities he said Marques would champion in Congress.

“As your next Congressman, he will fight tirelessly to Grow our Economy, Champion our Farmers and American Agriculture, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Military/Veterans, Advance Election Integrity, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” the president wrote.

He then turned to Figures.

“His opponent, Shomari Figures, voted against NO TAX ON TIPS, NO TAX ON OVERTIME, and NO TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY and, if he and the Dumocrats ever got in, all of these things would be terminated,” Trump wrote. “He wants massive Tax Increases, Open Borders, Men playing in Women’s Sports, and Transgender for Everybody. Shomari Figures is Reckless, Radical, and Dangerous!”

Trump closed the post with a direct appeal to voters: “Rhett Marques has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. GET OUT AND VOTE FOR RHETT — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

The vote behind Trump’s attack

Trump’s criticism centered on Figures’ vote against the president’s sweeping tax and spending package, which Republicans called the One Big Beautiful Bill. Figures voted no in July 2025 when the House sent the measure to Trump’s desk on a 218-214 vote. Every House Democrat voted against it.

The law includes the tax breaks on tips, overtime pay and some income for seniors that Trump campaigned on in 2024. Those provisions were part of a much larger bill that Democrats opposed over changes to Medicaid, food assistance and other federal programs, as well as its effect on the national debt.

Figures said at the time that the bill was “nothing more than a handout for the rich” and that “there is nothing beautiful about it.” He argued it favored wealthy Americans while cutting programs relied on by lower-income families, and he objected to changes that shift more of the cost of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to the states.

Figures fires back

Figures responded to Trump’s post with a statement aimed squarely at his opponent.

“I’m sure Rhett Marques begged Trump to post all these lies because Rhett knows he’s in big trouble in a district drawn just for him,” Figures said.

He again tied Marques and Trump to high fuel prices and to problems facing farmers. “He’s in trouble because gas is high and he’s part of the reason why,” Figures wrote, referring to Marques’ vote for the 2019 Rebuild Alabama Act, which raised the state gas tax by 10 cents a gallon over three years to pay for roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

“He’s in trouble because farmers are being crushed by Trump’s policies,” Figures added.

Figures also renewed an attack on Marques’ record as a business owner, accusing him of failing to promptly send some sales and payroll taxes to the state. Marques owned and managed Goodson Tire & Auto in Enterprise before entering the Legislature. Previous reporting has documented tax liens involving the business dating back nearly two decades; those liens were later released. Marques has called Democratic attacks on his tax record misleading.

“I’ve actually gotten more calls from Republicans who are upset that Trump called me out by name,” Figures said. “That should tell you a lot.”

He ended his response with a warning aimed at the president: “On November 3rd, this District will show him why he would’ve been better off keeping my name out of his mouth.”

Figures challenges Marques over Minaj remarks

Later Monday, Figures opened a second front. In a Facebook post that tagged Marques, he asked whether his opponent would tell Trump that comments the president made about Nicki Minaj were inappropriate.

Trump was speaking Sunday, Oct. 25, at a Republican rally in Port Huron, Michigan, when he revisited earlier comments he had made about the physique of Ohio Sen. Jon Husted. He then turned his attention to Minaj, who was in attendance, and made a crude remark about her backside before asking her to stand and saying, “That’s hard to miss.” Trump later said he hoped she was not insulted and added, “We love Nicki. She’s been with us for a long time.” Minaj later joined Trump on stage and urged the crowd to support Republican candidates in the Nov. 3 election.

“Every time I think we’ve seen rock bottom, this guy plows right through it to a new low,” Figures wrote.

“I would think we can all agree as a principle of basic decency that it is entirely inappropriate for the President of the United States of America to talk about a woman’s [backside] on a national platform and then tell that woman to stand up so people can see it,” he wrote. “All leaders, regardless of party, should be able to speak out against this.”

“What do you think Rhett Marques?” Figures asked. “Will you tell the President that he was wrong for doing that?”

Marques responds

Marques did not directly say whether he believed Trump’s comments were wrong. Instead, he rejected the criticism and went after Figures’ record.

“I won’t be lectured about decency by a guy who votes to spend our taxpayer dollars on gender mutilation surgeries for children,” Marques said in a statement.

Marques also accused Figures of helping the Biden administration cover up corruption involving Hunter Biden, of supporting policies that would raise gas prices and of benefiting from outside spending by liberal donors. He said Figures was focused on social media rather than issues affecting voters.

“While Shomari huffs and puffs on social media, I’m crisscrossing Alabama’s Second Congressional District, where I’ve actually lived and worked, talking to folks about cutting taxes, putting more money into hardworking Alabamians’ pockets and protecting our country from the insane ideas of Shomari’s socialist party,” Marques said.

Figures closed his Facebook post by arguing that Trump’s conduct belongs in the debate. “In addition to high gas prices, an unnecessary war and corruption, DECENCY is on the ballot on Nov. 3rd,” he wrote.

Trump’s long involvement in the race

Monday’s post was not the first time Trump has weighed in. He first endorsed Marques in June, ahead of the Aug. 11 special Republican primary, and Marques won the nomination outright over five opponents. Sen. Katie Britt also endorsed him.

Earlier this month, Marques took the stage ahead of Trump at the president’s Oct. 2 rally in Mobile, where he told the crowd the choice in the 2nd District “comes down to two things: Craziness or common sense,” and accused Figures of representing the Democratic Party’s “far left.”

“We’ve got to get him in, that’s a good one,” Trump told the rally crowd. Figures responded the next day by accusing Marques and other Alabama Republicans of being in a “Trump drunk state of praise and worship.”

Last Thursday, Trump posted his full Alabama slate for Nov. 3 and urged “THE GREAT PEOPLE OF ALABAMA” to make a plan to vote for Marques, along with U.S. Rep. Barry Moore for U.S. Senate and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville for governor.

A redrawn district

Figures, a Mobile Democrat, is seeking a second term in a district the Legislature redrew this year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais. Under the old map, the 2nd District included Mobile and was drawn to give Black voters an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice; Figures won it with 54.6% of the vote.

The new 2nd District stretches from the Wiregrass through Montgomery and west into Lowndes and Butler counties. Trump would have carried it by about 14 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, a shift that Figures referenced when he said the district was “drawn just for” Marques.

Marques has served in the Alabama House since 2018 and ran his Enterprise tire business for more than two decades before entering politics.

Money and momentum

Figures has held a sizable fundraising advantage. He raised more than $1 million during the most recent fundraising quarter and entered the final weeks of the campaign with more than $1.3 million on hand. Marques raised about $317,000 and reported about $328,000 available, according to campaign finance reports.

Outside groups have also been active. Recent South Alabama News coverage has reported growing outside spending in support of Figures, a national forecaster’s shift of the race toward Republicans, and a campaign stop for Marques by U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a member of the House Republican leadership.

How to vote

Polls in Alabama are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Alabama does not offer early in-person voting. Voters who qualify for an absentee ballot under state law can apply, but deadlines are approaching quickly. Voters can check their registration status, find their polling place and review a sample ballot through the Alabama Secretary of State’s official voter website.

Key facts

• Race: Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, U.S. House
• Candidates: U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile), seeking a second term; state Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise)
• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Latest developments: Trump renewed his endorsement of Marques on Oct. 26; Figures responded and challenged Marques over Trump’s Minaj remarks
• District lean: Trump would have won the redrawn district by about 14 points in 2024
• Cash on hand: Figures, more than $1.3 million; Marques, about $328,000