2026年10月31日16:00:15.770Z / CNN
宴会厅。认知测试。男性体格。
当美国总统唐纳德·特朗普以穿越深红州的冲刺节奏结束中期选举季时，他对选民的表态也偏向了一些出人意料的方向。
他的每一场行程都比以往任何时候都更引人注目，因为核心只有一件事：特朗普本人。他对选民的提议是，不管自己的人气多低，都要把他当成选票上的候选人。国家发展方向或生活成本的问题，大多被抛到了一边。
特朗普乘坐空军一号前往几个月前还不算有竞争力的州时，私下反映称，他如今举办的这些集会，很可能是他作为本党旗手的最后几场。
这让他本月举办的20余场集会，或许成了极具特朗普个人特色的政治造势活动的最终版本。
从某些角度来看，这让这场造势带有了告别之旅的味道。这位通过一场场狂热集会改变了共和党和美国政治格局的人物，如今正伴着《YMCA》的音乐走下舞台。
CNN在过去两周走遍全国报道了总统的集会，包括堪萨斯州、北卡罗来纳州、南卡罗来纳州、爱荷华州、佛罗里达州、佐治亚州、密歇根州、密西西比州、得克萨斯州和俄亥俄州，观察总统的表现并与到场的民众交谈。
以下是我方记者在现场注意到的亮点。
堪萨斯州威奇托市 贝琪·克莱因报道
今年我已经在九个州参加过特朗普的竞选集会——有些州还去过多次，此前我曾跟进他2016年和2020年的总统竞选（2024年则因拜登-哈里斯的行程而中途调整）。他的集会人群构成在这段时间的变化令人震惊。
2015年6月特朗普宣布参选的当天，我在得梅因的霍伊特·谢尔曼广场见证了他从特朗普大厦自动扶梯走下来后的首场造势活动。那批观众相对无党派，很多人持好奇态度，不少人是未决选民，大多只是想来看看热闹。这次我去各地采访，几乎所有人都只会投票给共和党。这些支持者是特朗普和他的MAGA运动最狂热的拥护者。
但有一个例外：堪萨斯州，该州在2024年以16个百分点的优势投票给特朗普，自1932年以来就从未选出过民主党籍的参议员。
10月19日，在威奇托郊区帕克市的特朗普集会上，我采访了一位在参议院选举中尚未做出决定的年轻母亲，这场选举的双方是共和党现任参议员罗杰·马歇尔和民主党候选人亚当·汉密尔顿——一位大型教堂的牧师。她最关心的问题是经济。
一位小企业主告诉我，他在观看特朗普的集会后决定投票给汉密尔顿。
“我真的认为堪萨斯已经受够了，我们这里有很多人会投票并带来改变，”他说。
南卡罗来纳州克莱姆森市 阿莱娜·特里内报道
克莱姆森大学校园内的畜牧设施，无论是字面意思还是象征意义，都与你观看牛仔竞技的地方很相似。
10月21日那天，我至少十几次看到不守规矩的抗议者被安保人员带走。
总统走上讲台后几分钟，就开始有人起哄。
“你是罪犯！”我听到有人大喊。
“去你的！”一个年轻人双手比出中指喊道。
“你是叛徒！”另一个人尖叫道。
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/22/politics/video/trump-rally-gets-rowdy-with-at-least-12-protesters-removed-digvid-vrtc
特朗普最近在中期选举集会上经常遇到抗议者，这种情况比我2024年跟进他竞选时遇到的更多——他用幽默化解了这些干扰。
“我不介意他们这么做，但总是赶在我抛出笑点的时候，”他在应对三次中断后开玩笑说。“我有三个笑点，他们的时机选得真好。”
“这些人是彻头彻尾的失败者，”他说。
佛罗里达州迈尔斯堡 亚当·坎克林报道
特朗普回到佛罗里达州西南部，这是该州过去十年一直坚定支持共和党的深红地区，他显得得心应手。
但总统甚至在10月23日将宝贵时间花在这里，就鲜明表明了共和党面临的更广泛困境。他在演讲中用了很长时间恳求座无虚席的人群为国会下议院候选人投票。他似乎不敢相信佛罗里达州的关键选区胶到需要他出手干预。
“安吉·尼克松——我简直不敢相信，我简直不敢相信，”特朗普提到这位民主党参议员候选人时说道，她是一位民主党社会主义者，正全力挑战共和党现任参议员阿什利·穆迪。“我为什么不能有这样的候选人来竞选？我为什么不能，阿什利？”
特朗普只花了有限时间讨论伊朗战争和推高佛罗里达竞争力的高油价。相反，他把中期选举塑造成了另一次忠诚度考验：如果选民支持他，就需要再去投票一次。
“这次选举我请你们假装我在选票上，如果你不介意的话，”他说。
佐治亚州佩里市 拉斐尔·罗莫报道
10月24日在佐治亚州佩里市，最引人注目的时刻是特朗普声称，在民众面临加油站高油价的同时，美国正在“赚取数千亿、甚至数万亿美元”的石油收入。
他似乎意识到了这种说法的脱节，承认他的助手曾建议他不要提及油价和石油。“我的人说，‘请别提那个，先生！’”他说。
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/24/politics/video/trump-us-making-freaking-fortune-oil-gas-digvid
特朗普说，媒体后来会报道“特朗普总统在民众为油价叫苦的时候谈论我们赚的所有钱”，这是一种自我实现的预言。
“我才不在乎！我就是要说出来。我们在赚该死的大钱！”他大吼道。
人群爆发出欢呼声。但我也注意到，后排一些靠近媒体看台的人相互交换着难以置信的眼神。
密歇根州休伦港 阿莱特·萨恩斯报道
10月25日，当特朗普在密歇根州休伦港登台时，他想起了另一位总统。
“我的对手昨天来过这里，”他指的是前总统巴拉克·奥巴马。“他没有像这样的人群。”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/politics/video/trump-rally-obama-michigan-vrtc
特朗普在这座与加拿大接壤的密歇根市露面，距离奥巴马在底特律的集会不到24小时（我参加了两场，尽管特朗普声称奥巴马的活动“冷清”，但两场都有大量人群）。
这个周末展现了罕见且引人注目的画面：两位总统各自提出了针对国家的不同愿景。
选举还有九天之际，特朗普似乎高度关注两件事——对密歇根州民主党参议员提名者阿卜杜勒·埃勒-赛义德发起反穆斯林攻击，以及谈论人们的臀部，包括俄亥俄州共和党参议员乔恩·赫斯特德的臀部。
“我看过（赫斯特德的）臀部，我以前对男人从没这样过。私下说：女人可以，男人不行，”特朗普说。
他还特意提到了一位女性。
“对了，我之前看过一个美到不行的臀部，妮琪·米娜，”特朗普说，他这位盟友说唱歌手，请她站起来。“那很显眼。”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/politics/video/trump-nicki-minaj-ass-comments-vrtc
严格来说，他是来为共和党参议员提名者迈克·罗杰斯助选的，但这类言论更像是为了取悦他的忠实支持者，而非试图争取一个因高油价和他与加拿大贸易战而深受打击的州的选民。
特朗普也半开玩笑地称赞了罗杰斯——只要能帮他获胜。
“如果能保证你赢，我也会这么说你的屁股，迈克。我什么都愿意做，因为我们必须把你选上，”他说。
密西西比州科林斯 凯文·利普塔克报道
特朗普在集会中详细讲述翻新项目的情况并不少见，尽管他的许多顾问希望他在远离白宫、永远不会看到或受益于这些工程的受众面前避免谈论这个话题。
特朗普没有听从这个建议，10月26日在密西西比州，他似乎对奥巴马贬低他的设计品味为“萨达姆·侯赛因开了家‘芝士蛋糕工厂’”感到特别生气。
他称芝士蛋糕工厂是“一家非常成功的公司”，表示奥巴马根本不理解白宫维护的必要性。
“白宫代表着我们的国家，必须保持整洁，”他说。“我曾试图跟奥巴马这种人解释这一点，但他根本听不懂。”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/26/politics/video/trump-white-house-beauty-standards-obama-vrtc
特朗普坚称自己在这些项目上花费的时间很少，但还是详细描述了他修复北柱廊的灰泥、在南草坪安装新直升机坪的努力。
在十字路口竞技场里，这些细节并没有换来特别热烈的掌声。有一次，一名抗议者大喊：“把那宴会厅塞到你那胖屁股里去”，在房间里和镜头上声音都特别清晰。
特朗普笑话海湖庄园的汉堡和甜点要5000美元
得克萨斯州卢伯克市和科珀斯克里斯蒂市 阿莱特·萨恩斯、艾德·拉文德拉报道
距离选举还有一周，特朗普前往得克萨斯州为共和党参议员提名者肯·帕克斯进行得克萨斯式造势，在科珀斯克里斯蒂和卢伯克举办了两场集会。
在10月27日的两场行程中，特朗普承诺如果共和党控制参众两院，将给美国人发放5000美元支票。在科珀斯克里斯蒂，他邀请选民用这笔钱去海湖庄园消费——然后打趣说他们根本负担不起。
“你甚至可以来海湖庄园，”特朗普说。“问题是，用5000美元，你最多能买个汉堡，也许再加个小甜点。我甚至不确定你能不能买到。不，别去那里。如果你在意价格，那不是个好地方。”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/27/politics/video/trump-mar-a-lago-pricing-vrtc
这个笑话是特朗普为了取悦观众而偏离主题的一个例子——有时会让共和党其他人感到尴尬，尤其是在生活成本是选民首要关切的情况下。
原本预计特朗普会和三位得克萨斯出身的知名橄榄球运动员一起助选，但最终只有两人到场。当天晚些时候，特朗普在卢伯克与帕克斯一同造势，这座位于得克萨斯州西北部的县，上一次选举中特朗普以40个百分点的优势胜出。
“和美国总统待一整天真的很有趣，”帕克斯在台上说。“我们抵达卢伯克时，他说，‘你知道吗，我一般不会为任何人举办两场集会。’他说，‘我肯定是特别喜欢你。’总统先生，我也特别喜欢您。”
俄亥俄州奇利科西和爱荷华州苏城 贝琪·克莱因、凯文·利普塔克报道
在多个行程中，特朗普为可以说是2026年选举周期最具争议的广告进行了冗长辩护：一则广告中出现了俄亥俄州民主党州长提名者艾米·阿克顿疏远的母亲。
这则广告来自俄亥俄州共和党州长提名者维韦克·拉马斯瓦米的竞选团队，受到了两党广泛谴责，包括现任共和党州长迈克·德瓦恩。
阿克顿的母亲在广告中称自己的女儿是“骗子”。阿克顿表示，自从12岁母亲失去孩子监护权后就没见过她，当时她的继父因被大陪审团指控性侵她而被起诉。
在广告播出后首次访问“七叶树州”（俄亥俄州的别称）时，特朗普告诉包括拉马斯瓦米在内的人群，任何反对声音都“非常不公平”。
“母亲说女儿艾米·阿克顿是骗子，说她不行，说她就对手撒谎了。这凭什么是他的问题？太不公平了，”10月28日他说，引发了体育馆里人群的热烈掌声。
他前一周在爱荷华州苏城也为这则广告辩护。这一幕的尴尬之处在于，他本应到场助选的候选人——共和党众议员阿什利·辛森，正在竞选参议员——当天早些时候就谴责这则广告“荒谬”，并表示“必须撤下来”。
当特朗普讲述他声称本周早些时候与拉马斯瓦米的对话时，辛森在台下看着。特朗普说他敦促拉马斯瓦米抵制共和党要求撤下广告的呼声。之后，总统将辛森叫到台上，她没有提及这件事。
这是特朗普让脆弱的共和党人陷入困境的又一个例子。在机场机库听他演讲时，就不难理解为什么这么多共和党人希望他能坚持到对自己一方的选举更有推动作用的议题上。
南卡罗来纳州罗克希尔 阿莱娜·特里内报道
10月29日在南卡罗来纳州时，特朗普高度关注近期民调，坚称媒体发布的调查“不真实”、“完全假的”。
他特别不满那些测试他支持率的民调。
“它们全是错的。‘唐纳德·特朗普支持率42%’。42%？你是说乘以二再加20吧。天呐，这些太烂了。这些人真差劲。假民调，”他说。
不清楚总统指的是哪项民调。CNN的民调平均显示他的支持率为34%。
在批评了几分钟近期民调后，特朗普进行了一场自己的“民调”。
“我问你们个问题：有多少人、多少人被民调过？现场有谁接受过民调吗？真的。举手，”他问满场MAGA帽和闪亮特朗普服饰的人群。“我好奇。反正我从没见过一个共和党人被民调过。”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/29/politics/video/trump-polls-rally-crowd-vrtc
很少有与会者——我数了大概十几个人——举手。
虽然总统和许多共和党竞选人员都很快将民调斥为经常出错或低估共和党选民，但要忽视特朗普在坚定支持共和的州花费的时间和精力就更难了。
佛罗里达州代托纳比奇 朱莉娅·本布鲁克报道
“有什么比特朗普的集会更好吗？”总统在选举日前一个周五登台后不久问道。
当天早些时候，有那么一刻，似乎这场集会可能是他的收官之作，周末可以去海湖庄园好好休息。此前24小时内，他计划的堪萨斯和爱荷华周末集会先是取消，之后又重新安排进了日程。
“我以为这会是最后一场，”特朗普告诉佛罗里达的人群。“我以为我能休息一下。”
总统声音沙哑，感叹过去一个月的辛苦。“连续28天搞这破事真的很累，真的很累。我的声音大概只发挥了49.2%的状态。”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/30/politics/video/trump-voice-49-percent-iowa-kansas-rallies-vrtc
据CNN报道，在他的团队决定通过线上造势进行周末收官演讲后，总统对媒体对这些取消活动的报道感到恼怒。
但在佛罗里达，特朗普的说法是，那些州的共和党人要求他亲自到场。“我说，‘重要吗？’他们说，‘我们只是想确保我们能赢。’”
又一场90分钟的集会似乎让他觉得自己还能应付更多。
“所以周日你们看橄榄球的时候，我会坐着专机飞往爱荷华、飞往堪萨斯。”
CNN的基特·马尔、伊兹·利波利斯和洛根·希夏诺为本文报道做出了贡献。
Trump’s rally sprint had flavors of a farewell tour, MAGA crowds and an unexpected closing message
2026-10-31T16:00:15.770Z / CNN
Ballrooms. Cognitive tests. The male physique.
As President Donald Trump closes out the midterm election season with a sprint through ruby red America, his message to voters has veered into some unexpected places.
More than ever before, his stops have been remarkable because they’re about one thing: Trump himself. His message to voters is to pretend he’s on the ballot, no matter how unpopular he’s become. Concerns about the direction of the country, or the cost of living, are mostly shoved to the side.
Jetting on Air Force One to states not considered competitive even a few months ago, Trump has privately reflected that the rallies he’s holding now are likely the last where he’s the party’s standard-bearer.
That makes the 20-odd events he’s held this month perhaps the final iteration of the singular political function that is a Trump rally.
In some ways, that has given the onslaught the flavor of a farewell tour. The man who transformed the GOP and the nation’s politics, rally by raucous rally, is now dancing off the stage to the beat of “YMCA.”
CNN traveled across the country to cover the president’s rallies over the last two weeks, including to Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Texas and Ohio — observing the president in action and talking to those who came to see him.
Here’s what stood out to our reporters on the ground.
Betsy Klein in Wichita, Kansas
I’ve been to Trump campaign rallies in nine states this year — some of them multiple times — after covering his presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020 (with a Biden-Harris detour in 2024). It’s been striking how the makeup of his crowd has changed in that time.
The day Trump first announced his candidacy in June 2015, I was at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines for his first stop after coming down the Trump Tower escalator. That crowd was relatively bipartisan. A lot of people were curious. Many were undecided voters. Most just wanted to check it out. I talk to attendees everywhere I go, and this cycle, almost everyone I’ve met is voting straight-ticket Republican. These rally-goers are the most ardent supporters of Trump and his MAGA movement.
But there has been one exception: Kansas, a state that voted for Trump by a 16-point margin in 2024 and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.
At Trump’s rally in the Wichita suburb of Park City on October 19, I talked to a young mom who was undecided in the Senate race between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and the Democratic candidate, Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor. Her animating issue: the economy.
A small business owner told me he decided to vote for Hamilton after watching Trump’s rally.
“I truly believe Kansas has had enough, and there are plenty of us here to vote and make a difference,” he said.
Alayna Treene in Clemson, South Carolina
The livestock facility on the Clemson University campus was a familiar setting, both literally and figuratively, to one where you’d watch a rodeo.
At least a dozen times on October 21, I watched as unruly protesters were removed by security.
The heckling began within minutes of the president taking the podium.
“You’re a criminal!” I heard one person yell.
“F**k you!” a young man shouted, while flipping the president off with both hands.
“You’re a traitor!” another screamed.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/22/politics/video/trump-rally-gets-rowdy-with-at-least-12-protesters-removed-digvid-vrtc
Trump — who has faced regular demonstrators during his recent midterm rallies, more than I recall from covering his campaign in 2024 — brushed the disruptions off with humor.
“I don’t mind when they do that, but it’s always right at my punchline,” he joked following a trio of interruptions. “I’ve had three punchlines, and they time them beautifully.”
“These people are serious losers,” he said.
Adam Cancryn in Fort Myers, Florida
Trump was in his element during his return to southwest Florida — a deep-red area of a state that’s voted reliably Republican for the last decade.
But the fact that the president even had to spend precious time here on October 23 was a stark sign of the wider troubles the GOP faces. He devoted long portions of his speech pleading with the capacity crowd to turn out for downballot candidates. And at times, he seemed in disbelief that key races in Florida were close enough to require his intervention.
“Angie Nixon — I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it,” Trump said of Democrats’ Senate candidate, a Democratic socialist making a strong push to unseat Republican Sen. Ashley Moody. “Why can’t I have a candidate like that to run against? Why can’t I, Ashley?”
Trump spent limited time discussing the Iran war and rising gas prices that have made Florida competitive. Instead, he framed the midterms as another loyalty test: If voters supported him, they needed to go to the polls one more time.
“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot, if you don’t mind,” he said.
Rafael Romo in Perry, Georgia
The moment that stood out in Perry, Georgia, on October 24 was Trump’s assertion that the United States is “making hundreds and hundreds of billions, trillions of dollars” in oil at a time when people are facing high prices at the pump.
Appearing to recognize the disconnect, the president acknowledged his aides had advised him not to mention gas prices and oil. “My people said, ‘please don’t mention that, sir!’” he said.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/24/politics/video/trump-us-making-freaking-fortune-oil-gas-digvid
Trump said the media would later report that “President Trump is talking about all the money we are making while people are suffering at the pump,” in a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
“I don’t give a damn! I’m going to say it. We’re making a freaking fortune!” he thundered.
The crowd erupted in cheers. But I also noticed that some people in the back, closer to where the media riser was, looked at each other in disbelief.
Arlette Saenz in Port Huron, Michigan
When Trump took the stage in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25, he had another president on his mind.
“My competitor was here yesterday,” he said referring to former President Barack Obama. “He didn’t have a crowd like this.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/politics/video/trump-rally-obama-michigan-vrtc
Trump’s appearance in the Michigan city bordering Canada came within the same 24-hour span as Obama’s rally in Detroit. (I attended both, and each had sizable crowds, despite Trump’s claim Obama’s event was “sparse.”)
The weekend showcased a rare and remarkable split screen between two presidents offering their competing visions for the country.
With the election nine days away, Trump appeared hyper focused on two things — lobbing anti-Muslim attacks against Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and musing about people’s posteriors, including that of Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted.
“I looked at (Husted’s) ass, and I’ve never done that with a man before. Off the record: Women yes, men no,” Trump said.
He singled out one woman.
“By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before, Nicki Minaj,” Trump said, asking the rapper, an ally of his, to stand up. “That’s hard to miss.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/25/politics/video/trump-nicki-minaj-ass-comments-vrtc
Trump was technically there to campaign for GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers, but that type of commentary seemed more about entertaining his adoring crowd than trying to move the needle with voters in a state hit hard by high gas prices and his trade war with Canada.
Trump teased a compliment for Rogers too — if it would help him win.
“I’d say that about your ass, too, Mike, if it gets you a guaranteed victory. I’ll do anything because we got to get you in,” he said.
Kevin Liptak in Corinth, Mississippi
Extensive recounting of his renovation projects is not unusual for Trump during his rallies, even though many of his advisers would prefer he avoid the topic when speaking to audiences thousands of miles away from the White House who will never see or benefit from the work.
Trump has not taken that advice, and in Mississippi on October 26, he seemed particularly agitated that Obama had maligned his design taste as akin to “Saddam Hussein” opening “a Cheesecake Factory.”
Declaring the Cheesecake Factory a “very successful company,” Trump said Obama just didn’t understand the presidential imperative of building maintenance.
“The White House represents our country, and that has to be pristine,” he said. “And I would try and explain that to a guy like Obama, but he wouldn’t understand.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/26/politics/video/trump-white-house-beauty-standards-obama-vrtc
Trump insisted he was actually spending very little time on the projects, but went on to describe in detail his efforts to repair the North Portico’s plaster and install a new helipad on the South Lawn.
Inside the Crossroads Arena, those details were not met with particularly rapturous applause. At one point, a protester screamed, “Shove that ballroom up your fat ass,” in a voice that was extremely clear in the room and on-camera.
Trump jokes a hamburger and dessert cost $5K at Mar-a-Lago
Arlette Saenz in Lubbock, Texas, and Ed Lavendera in Corpus Christi, Texas
One week out from the election, Trump hit the campaign trail for a Texas two-step with rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock for GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
At both stops on October 27, Trump dangled $5,000 checks for Americans if Republicans win control of the House and Senate. In Corpus Christi, he invited voters to spend their cash payment at Mar-a-Lago — before quipping they wouldn’t be able to afford it.
“You could even come to Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said. “The problem is that for $5,000, the most you’ll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert. I’m not even sure you could buy that. No, don’t go there. That’s not a good place if you’re price conscious.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/27/politics/video/trump-mar-a-lago-pricing-vrtc
The joke is an example of Trump’s propensity for going off message to entertain his crowd — with results that sometimes make others in the GOP cringe, especially as affordability remains a top concern for voters.
Trump had been expected to campaign with three prominent football players with Texas roots; ultimately, only two showed up. Later in the day, Trump campaigned with Paxton in Lubbock, a northwestern Texas county he won by 40 points in the last election.
“It’s pretty fun to hang out with the president of the United States for a whole day,” Paxton said on stage. “As we were arriving in Lubbock, he said, ‘You know, I don’t usually do two rallies for anybody.’ He said, ‘I must really like you.’ Mr. President, I really like you too.”
Betsy Klein in Chillicothe, Ohio, and Kevin Liptak in Sioux City, Iowa
In multiple stops, Trump delivered a lengthy defense of what has become arguably the most polarizing ad of the 2026 campaign cycle: a spot featuring the estranged mother of Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Amy Acton.
The ad — which came from Ohio GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign — has been widely condemned on both sides of the aisle, including by current Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.
Acton’s mother calls her daughter a “liar” in the ad. Acton has said she hasn’t seen her mother since she was 12, when her mother lost custody of her children as Acton’s stepfather was indicted by a grand jury on charges of sexually abusing her.
In his first trip to the Buckeye State since the ad began to air, Trump told a crowd that included Ramaswamy that any pushback was “very unfair.”
“The mother said that Amy Acton, the daughter, is a liar. That she’s no good. That she lied about the opponent. How the hell is that his problem? Very unfair,” Trump said on October 28, prompting raucous applause from a gymnasium crowd.
Trump similarly embraced the ad in Sioux City, Iowa, the week before. What made that moment somewhat awkward was that the candidate he was ostensibly there to stump for — GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for Senate — had earlier in the day decried the ad as “ridiculous” and said it “needs to come down.”
Hinson was watching off-stage as Trump recounted a conversation he said he had earlier in the week with Ramaswamy. Trump said he urged Ramaswamy to buck Republican calls to take the ad down. Later, the president summoned Hinson on stage, and she didn’t mention it.
It was another example of Trump putting vulnerable Republicans in tough spots. And listening to his speech inside an airplane hangar, it was evident why so many Republicans wish he would stick to issues that are clearer drivers of turnout on their side.
Alayna Treene in Rock Hill, South Carolina
Trump was hyper-fixated on recent polling while in South Carolina on October 29 — insisting that surveys published by the media are “not real” and “totally phony.”
He took particular umbrage with polls testing his approval rating.
“They are so full of it. ‘Donald Trump is at 42%.’ 42%? You mean times two? And add 20. Boy, they are bad. They’re sick people. Fake polls,” he said.
It wasn’t clear which poll the president was referencing. CNN’s Poll of Polls average puts his approval rating at 34%.
After criticizing recent polls for several minutes, Trump took a poll of his own.
“Let me ask you a question: How many polls, how many people in this room were ever polled? Has anybody been polled? Seriously. Raise your hand,” he asked the crowd, which was filled with MAGA hats and sparkly Trump garb. “I’m curious. I’ve never known one person as a Republican anyway.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/29/politics/video/trump-polls-rally-crowd-vrtc
Very few attendees — I counted maybe a dozen in the room — raised their hands.
While the president and many GOP operatives have been quick to dismiss polls as often being wrong or undercounting Republican voters, it’s harder to discount the time and energy Trump has spent in reliably red states.
Julia Benbrook in Daytona Beach, Florida
“Is there anything better than a Trump rally?” the president asked soon after taking the stage on the Friday before Election Day.
For a moment earlier that day, it seemed like this rally could be the grand finale, with a restful weekend at Mar-a-Lago on the horizon. Within the previous 24 hours, his planned weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa had been cancelled and then put back on his schedule.
“I thought this was going to be my last one,” Trump told the crowd in Florida. “I thought I could relax.”
His voice sounding hoarse, the president lamented the toll of the past month. “Twenty-eight days in a row of this crap is lot. It’s a lot. My voice is about operating at about 49.2%.”
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/30/politics/video/trump-voice-49-percent-iowa-kansas-rallies-vrtc
After his team decided he’d deliver his weekend closing arguments via telerally, the president grew irked at the media coverage of the cancelled events, CNN reported.
But in Trump’s telling in Forida, Republicans in those states asked him to come in person. “I said, ‘Does it matter?’ They said, ‘We just want to make sure that we win.”
Another 90-minute rally seemed to convince him that he had juice for more.
“And so on Sunday, while you’re all watching football, I’ll be traveling in a very beautiful airplane to Iowa, to Kansas.”
CNN’s Kit Maher, Izzy Lippolis and Logan Schiciano contributed to this report.
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