Obama and Trump campaign as US midterms approach

Summarised from 10 outlets · 17 reports · Updated 30 Oct, 15:33 · Archive

Barack Obama and Donald Trump are campaigning in key battleground states ahead of the midterm elections on 3 November.

Barack Obama and Donald Trump are campaigning in key battleground states, including Georgia and Michigan, in the final days before the midterm elections on 3 November. The former president has addressed multiple campaign rallies this week, while Trump has been holding rallies almost daily. Both are using these events to make closing arguments to voters ahead of what is expected to be a decisive election.

The midterm elections will determine which party controls the House of Representatives and the Senate for the remainder of Trump's presidency. Currently, Republicans control both chambers. More than 100 million Americans are expected to cast ballots, similar to turnout levels in the previous midterm election in 2022.

Trump's approval rating has become a significant factor in the campaign. According to polling from the Pew Research Center, his approval rating dropped to 30 per cent earlier this month, marking the lowest point of his second term. This represents the lowest approval rating any sitting president has reached heading into the midterms since Harry Truman in 1946. Polling data also shows that only 26 per cent of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, and just 17 per cent approve of his handling of the cost of living.

Public polling suggests Democrats are likely to take control of the House of Representatives, with analysts noting that the party is also within striking distance of a Senate majority, though that outcome is considered less likely. Think tank Chatham House has dubbed the 2026 midterms a 'rare foreign policy election', noting voter concerns over Trump's handling of foreign affairs, including conflicts abroad and his tariff policies.

If Democrats gain control of Congress, they would have the power to launch investigations into the government and potentially block some of the administration's policies. Analysts expect that a divided government would likely create gridlock that would prevent Congressional leadership in opposition to the president from achieving much. Wall Street observers are monitoring the results closely, with one analysis from Piper Sandler projecting that Democratic policy proposals 'would add $5 trillion to the deficit over the coming decade' if the party gains control.

A separate controversy has emerged in Alaska, where Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola has faced questions about how a man named Daniel J. Sullivan ended up on the ballot alongside Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan. The New York Times reported that Democratic operatives linked to Peltola's campaign helped recruit the candidate, though Peltola's team has denied the allegations. President Trump has called for both Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted. Peltola told supporters in Juneau that she knew nothing about other candidates on the ballot. The Justice Department has issued new subpoenas in a criminal investigation into the matter.

How it is being reported

• 'Donald Trump faces biggest political humiliation yet at high-stakes midterms'This year’s midterms feel different. There are closer races in more states than any election in living memory, with Democrats poised to seize control of both houses of CongressThe Mirror · 30 Oct, 16:42
• Midterms 2026: The former neo-Nazi pastor speaking out against TrumpAccording to one poll, 82 per cent of white evangelical Protestants voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 US presidential election. That makes pastor Caleb Campbell a significant outlier – he has been one of the few outspoken evangelical critics of the Trump administration, dating back to the president’s first term when he felt compelled to speak out against Trump’s plans to put “kids in cages” as part of an immigration crackdown. “I was told that I was possessed by a demon,” Campbell remembers. Now, as the midterms approach, he fears US politics and the current administration have become more…France 24 · 30 Oct, 15:34
• Dire sign for Trump as Democrats edge toward 10-point lead in the Daily Mail's midterms poll of pollsPresident Donald Trump and his Republican Party look poised for a beating, according to averages of the latest polling data.Daily Mail · 30 Oct, 15:21
• NPR special: 5 takeaways from a year of listening to swing votersEvery election, there is a crucial sliver of voters who help determine which candidates win. Here are five takeaways from a year of listening to voters who backed Biden in 2020 and then Trump in 2024.NPR · 30 Oct, 15:00
• Midterms analysis on Trump, El-SayedMajor Garrett has the latest political analysis in the last days of midterm elections campaigning.CBS News · 30 Oct, 14:08
• How will the women's vote shape the US midterms?With the US midterms approaching, we examine the power of the women's vote in an election that will shape the balance of power in Washington during Donald Trump’s final two years in office. Annette Young talks to Annie Karni, congressional correspondent for The New York Times and Kelly Dittmar, Director of Research at the Centre for American Women and Politics.France 24 · 30 Oct, 13:52
• Georgia midterm elections: Why this is a key US battlegroundObama and Trump campaign in key battleground state ahead of next week's midterm elections.Al Jazeera · 30 Oct, 12:09
• Midterm Updates: Trump to rally Floridians, Peltola denies "tricking voters"The November 2026 midterm elections are just four days away. Candidates in key races — and President Trump — are making their closing arguments to voters.CBS News · 30 Oct, 10:42
• What's at stake for Trump in the US midterms?Anthony Zurcher explains how the results of the midterm elections could reshape the rest of Trump's presidency.BBC News · 30 Oct, 10:19
• Trump’s reckoning: Why the US midterm elections matter to the rest of the worldMillions of Americans will go to the polls on November 3 in what will be seen as a verdict on Trump’s first two years back in office. Gergana Krasteva reports on the impact the pivotal election could have beyond the United StatesIndependent World · 30 Oct, 10:04
• Wall Street braces for Democratic gains as 2026 midterm election nearsInvestors are preparing for a blue wave in the midterm election on Tuesday that will determine who controls Congress for the remainder of President Trump's term.CNBC · 30 Oct, 10:00
• US midterms: With deep-red states now in play, could blue wave redraw America's political landscape?With the US approaching a potentially consequential midterm election, the political landscape appears to be shifting. Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Dr Richard Johnson, Senior Lecturer in US Politics & Policy at Queen Mary University of London, who examines the prospect of a sweeping Democratic victory. He argues that the party could achieve gains of a magnitude not seen since Barack Obama's historic presidential election in 2008. Johnson sees a combination of Democratic enthusiasm, and growing support among independents, white college-educated voters and Latinos, and signs of…France 24 · 30 Oct, 09:30
• Trump approval rating is historically low for a president heading into the midtermsThe last time a sitting president faced approval ratings this low heading into a midterm election was Harry Truman in 1946Independent World · 29 Oct, 23:47
• US Midterms: Donald Trump and Barack Obama make closing pitchesIn the United States, Democrats are turning to Barack Obama to rally voters ahead of the midterm elections, a crucial test that could shape the remainder of Donald Trump's presidency. The former president has addressed three campaign rallies this week, with the latest one in Atlanta, Georgia. FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor Angela Diffley has more.France 24 · 29 Oct, 14:57
• Trump and Obama trade barbs in closing week of US midterm electionNeither man is on the ballot but Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic former President Barack Obama took prominent roles on the campaign trail on Wednesday, with less than a week to go before congressional races that could shift the balance of power in Washington. Thirty-five of the 100 Senate seats and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives are being contested next Tuesday. Nonpartisan analysts generally favor Democrats' chances of capturing a majority in the House, with the contest for the Senate seen as very close.France 24 · 29 Oct, 14:48
• Trump and Obama trade barbs on campaign trail in final days before midterm election – US politics liveFormer president says ‘these are not serious people’ as Trump holds rallies for Republican candidates Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog. President Trump and the former president Barack Obama have continued to trade barbs on the campaign trail, with less than a week to go before congressional races that could shift the balance of power in Washington. A federal judge declined to order California election officials to segregate ballots from people the Trump administration claimed were non-citizens, rebuffing a legally thin request from the justice department that appeared designed…Guardian World · 29 Oct, 10:52
• The bottomless depths of Donald Trump’s midterm rally bigotryBoth Obama and Trump are on the campaign trail, but only one of them appears to be descending into madness This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday . Barack Obama versus Donald Trump . It is the presidential election that never happened but has come to define an era of US politics. Obama is back on the campaign trail for the midterms, still electrifying crowds, earning shouts of “We love you!” and skewering his successor. “What’s up with the gold?” he asked a crowd in Detroit . “I mean, he’s got the White House looking like…Guardian World · 28 Oct, 17:11

In this story: Donald Trump · Barack Obama · Mary Peltola · Dan Sullivan · Democratic Party · Republican Party · Georgia · Alaska

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