Trump at Fort Myers rally: "thrown out of the party like a dog," "Marxist maniac," and repeated fact-checked claims (Oct. 23, 2026)

Trump at Fort Myers rally: "thrown out of the party like a dog," "Marxist maniac," and repeated fact-checked claims (Oct. 23, 2026)

Case

At a midterm rally in Fort Myers, Fla., on Oct. 23, 2026, Trump said Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly was "thrown out of the party like a dog," called Senate candidate Angie Nixon a "Communist" and, per a news report, a "Marxist maniac" and "lunatic," and repeated a claim that 25 million people were let in under Biden that PolitiFact rated False in a Sept. 2026 guide. Jolly says (per reporting) he left the GOP in 2018 on his own.

What Trump said (Oct. 23, 2026)
On David Jolly, the Democratic candidate for Florida governor and a former Republican congressman, Trump said per the transcript: "he was thrown out of the party like a dog." He added: "We threw him the hell out, he was terrible."
On Angie Nixon, Trump said per the transcript: "Nixon is a card carrying member of the Dumocratic Socialists of America, the Communist whose official platform --" and went on to describe the platform as including abolishing the Senate and Supreme Court, defunding the police and closing all prisons. A news report also quotes him calling her a "Marxist maniac" and "a lunatic."
Trump said in the transcript: "the Dumocrat Party has nominated the most extreme anti-American radicals ever to seek office." (Transcript spelling; a news report rendered a similar term differently.)

Claims and what fact-checkers have found
Trump said at the rally: "They allowed 25 million people to pour across our borders" and "Biden allowed 25 million in." PolitiFact rated the 25 million claim False in a guide to his rally talking points published Sept. 29, 2026, noting estimates of the illegal-immigrant population during Biden's term range from about 11 to 12 million, with a high estimate of 16.8 million. That guide checked earlier rallies, not this one.
Trump said at the rally his administration "secured commitments for $22.2 trillion of new investments." PolitiFact rated a similar "$22 trillion" claim False because the White House's own tally was $11.2 trillion and includes aspirational goals (earlier rallies, same guide).
Trump said two large outdoor screens at the rally "cost $1 million each." A local news report relayed the claim without independent confirmation, and no verification was found.
Jolly left the Republican Party in 2018 and said then that he found it impossible to be "never-Trump" and remain a Republican; he became a Democrat last year, per Florida Phoenix. Trump's "thrown out" description differs from that account.

Perspectives

Defender — Donald Trump (in his own terms, per the rally transcript)
Trump framed the race as a choice between Republicans and what he called "the most extreme anti-American radicals," arguing that Nixon's membership in the Democratic Socialists of America ties her to a platform he described as abolishing the Senate and Supreme Court and defunding police, and that Jolly "didn't represent anything that we stood for" as a Republican. He said Floridians "come to escape communists and not to elect them." In his telling, the immigration and investment figures reflect the scale of what Biden allowed and what his own deals secured.

Note
Trump's "thrown out" description of Jolly conflicts with reporting that Jolly left the GOP himself in 2018; the "25 million" figure was rated False by PolitiFact, which examined the same line from earlier rallies.

Sources
[1] Roll Call Factba.se — Transcript: Trump midterm rally, Fort Myers, Fla. (Oct. 23, 2026) (https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-speech-midterm-political-rally-fort-myers-florida-october-23-2026/) · 2026-10-23
[2] Florida Phoenix — Trump comes to Fort Myers to fire up the GOP base (https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/23/trump-comes-to-fort-myers-to-fire-up-the-gop-base/) · 2026-10-23
[3] PBS NewsHour / PolitiFact — A fact-checked guide to Trump's talking points and falsehoods at midterm rallies (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/a-fact-checked-guide-to-trumps-talking-points-and-falsehoods-at-midterm-rallies) · 2026-10-01
[4] WGCU — Trump rally in Fort Myers draws supporters in droves, reaches capacity (https://www.wgcu.org/government-politics/2026-10-24/trump-rally-in-fort-myers-draws-supporters-in-droves-reaches-capacity) · 2026-10-24

Connections

Related — Fact-check: Trump's border, "25 million," Ukraine-aid and D.C. crime claims in his Nov. 8 60 Minutes and Nov. 9 C-SPAN interviews
The "25 million" migrant claim was also repeated and fact-checked after the Oct. 23 Fort Myers rally.

Same actor — Trump's documented degrading and dehumanizing statements about people (hub)
Further demeaning remarks about political opponents by Trump, with transcript quotes ready to move into the hub.