Trump claims he’s ‘flipping races’ with his rally-a-day blitz. It’s not Republicans he’s helping

With the midterms less than a month away, President Donald Trump is crisscrossing the country for Republican candidates and insisting the effort is turning races around, even as polling and crowd evidence point the other way. Aides describe a full-scale rally push that has taken him in one week to Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio, Texas and Nebraska, with Maine and Michigan next on his list. On Truth Social he predicted a "MIDTERM SURPRISE." A person familiar with his thinking told The Independent he believes his presence will energize the coalition that won him the White House in 2024, and that he cites earlier polling misses in his favor.

The turnout tells a different story. His Alabama event left a sizable share of an indoor arena empty, though a 2015 launch there packed a 30,000-seat stadium, and Ohio and Oklahoma also showed vacant seats. He has also feuded with Fox News over its coverage of Democratic and independent Senate hopefuls. In Nebraska he made remarks suggesting Iran could strike San Diego and Los Angeles.

Surveys remain grim for Republicans. Democrats lead the generic ballot by 8.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →