Trump holds final rally as US midterms vote falls on 3 November

Final push before the vote

Donald Trump held a closing event on Monday, 2 November, in Washington, in front of the Lincoln Memorial and closed to the public. The appearance was his last before the midterms, the final stage of a campaign in which he has repeatedly asked supporters to imagine his name on the ballot. At the Reflecting Pool he showed photographs of the site before his renovation work, blaming his predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden for its earlier condition. He told the crowd that his administration had launched a golden age and would not let it be taken away, and he called the midterms the most important in the nation's history. He also accused Democrats of nominating jihadist candidates to push an extremist agenda.

What is at stake

The midterms decide the balance in Congress and the next two years of the presidential term. Democrats hope to win control of the Senate, and attention is focused on Michigan, Alaska, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas. A Reuters-Ipsos poll puts Trump's approval at 32%. Other polls point to heavy losses for the governing party, which could be among the largest defeats in decades. Trump is not on the ballot, yet the vote is framed as a referendum on him. Voters are deciding how much power to leave with the president rather than who will hold the office.

Voters in Washington

Outside the Lincoln Memorial, supporters defended his policies, from immigration enforcement to his relations with world leaders, while the cost of living weighed on others. One man from Arkansas gave Trump a score of 8 to 9 out of 10. He pointed to rising prices but said not everything depends on the war with Iran. Asked about the future of the Republican Party, he said he preferred Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing his policies and faith. A Washington resident said he had heated discussions with friends who support the president, but he said free expression still exists in the country.

Senate and local races

In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton, pastor of the Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, is challenging incumbent Republican senator Roger Marshall. Marshall portrays Hamilton as a dangerous extremist. Hamilton criticizes the economic crisis and rising prices. The opposition has not won a seat in the state since 1932. Trump's arrival in Kansas City was first announced by phone and has since been confirmed. In New York, Little Italy has been reshaped under Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and the Chinese community now dominates the area. Italian-Americans, who make up at least 5% of the US electorate, are resisting that change. Local prices are also rising, with a carbonara costing 32 dollars now compared with 27 dollars a year ago, and this could influence the vote.

What comes next

Voting takes place on Tuesday, 3 November. Voters will decide how much power Congress gives Trump for the rest of his term.