President Donald Trump threw his weight behind Republican congressional candidate Matt Van Epps on Monday, calling into a Nashville rally for the special election that has grown uncomfortably tight for the GOP.

“The whole world is watching Tennessee right now, and they’re watching the district,” Trump said, speaking through a phone held to a microphone by House Speaker Mike Johnson. “It’s gotta show that the Republican Party is stronger than it’s ever been. We have a bigger, stronger party than we’ve ever had. We have more members of the Republican Party than we’ve ever had, and we love Tennessee.”

The spectacle underscored just how rattled Republicans have become in what should be a reliably conservative seat. Johnson, who flew in from Washington early Monday, cast the race as an early

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