Trump Closes Midterm Campaign With Rallies in Iowa and Kansas as GOP Defends Congress

President Donald Trump closed out the final weekend of the midterm campaign with rallies in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon and Salina, Kansas, as Republicans fought to keep control of the Senate and House. Both states are ones he has handily won before. In Iowa, Republicans are defending a critical U.S. Senate seat and the governor's office, and the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Dubuque, has become competitive as the GOP works to protect its fragile House majority. Arriving in the state, Trump said he was there to support GOP Senate candidate Ashley Hinson and that Republicans have to get the Senate. In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton is mounting a robust bid to become the first Kansas Democrat to win a Senate seat in 94 years. More than 52 million votes had already been cast ahead of Election Day on Tuesday. The trips reflect a defensive posture for the GOP, as the elections become a referendum on Trump's second term. In 2024 he worked to flip Biden states, but this year he has focused on states he has dominated, as voters, including past supporters, question the economic fallout of his tariffs. Meanwhile, Democrats began to fracture in Michigan, risking their effort to retake the Senate.

The Nation, the left-leaning outlet, treats the Dubuque rally as a character study rather than a campaign dispatch. It leads with Trump's rambling style, his joke that First Lady Melania Trump wants him to be more presidential, his impressions, and a cameo by House Speaker Mike Johnson. It calls him a spent political force heading toward lame-duck status, and it has no polling or Michigan details in its opening. HuffPost, also left-leaning, runs the AP report, focusing on the GOP's defensive posture, tariff concerns and Kansas. Newsmax, on the right, leads with Trump rallying Republicans and with Michigan Democrats fracturing, and it gives no critique of his speaking style. All of them describe the same rallies, but The Nation emphasizes his demeanor while Newsmax emphasizes Democratic division. The independent AP version matches the wire text used by the others.