Donald Trump has held his final midterm campaign rallies in Iowa and Kansas as Republicans face warnings of significant losses in Tuesday’s elections.
The president appeared in Dubuque, Iowa, before travelling to Salina, Kansas, where an Air Force One flyover marked the start of his last rally of the campaign. Both states are traditionally Republican, but polling averages show Democrats with an advantage of almost 10 points nationally.
Trump used the appearances to urge Republican supporters to vote, telling the crowd: “We have to defeat them.” He added: “If we don’t defeat them, we are asking for a much bigger fight later on. All I’m asking you to do is to get out and vote.”
The Republican Party is under pressure as voters voice concerns about the cost of living and petrol prices. The source material attributes some of the pressure to Trump’s war against Iran, while the president’s approval ratings were described as being at record lows.
In Iowa, Trump was campaigning for Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, who is facing a close contest against Josh Turek. He then travelled to Kansas, where Republican Senator Roger Marshall is seeking re-election and faces a difficult race.
Trump spoke for more than two hours at the Iowa rally, considerably longer than many of his recent appearances. At one point, he defended the length of his address by telling the crowd: “This isn’t rambling. This isn’t rambling. This is genius.”
The Iowa event was interrupted three times by protesters during its opening minutes. Trump claimed, without providing evidence in the remarks reported, that protesters were being paid $250 and funded by George Soros, before calling one protester a “stupid person”.
Trump warns of a possible Democratic takeover
Democrats need four seats to take control of the Senate, while Republicans are also reported to be at risk of losing the House of Representatives. The Republican Party has controlled the White House, Senate and House since Trump returned to power in January 2025.
Trump acknowledged the possibility of Democrats taking control of one or both chambers of Congress. In a television interview, he said: “If that happens, I guess I’ll become Mr. Veto,” adding that the two parties would probably make deals at some point.
The president also renewed his attack on Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, repeatedly referring to him as a “jihadist” and saying the Senate would need a new metal detector if he won. Trump also said he called the candidate “Muhammad” rather than Abdul.
His final campaign speech is due to take place at the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool in Washington. Trump said he had chosen the location to “show how beautiful it is”, adding that cameras had been installed after what he described as vandalism.
The president’s last rallies come as a legal dispute over the closely watched Alaska Senate race provides another setback for his administration’s pre-election lawsuits. A judge blocked Trump’s attempt to have the result voided if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan does not win.
Trump has accused Democrats of involvement in what he called “voter fraud at the highest level” over the presence of two Dan Sullivans on the Alaska ballot. He also claimed Democratic candidate Mary Peltola should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, allegations contained in the campaign remarks but not established by the material provided.
