Trump continues midterm campaign blitz in North Carolina
Welcome to the American Politics live blog! My name is Shrai Popat and I’ll bring you the latest from Washington and beyond.
We begin today with Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Greenville, North Carolina – where he will be waiting Michael WhatleyRepublican candidate for US Senate, faces an uphill battle against Roy Cooperthe state’s former Democratic governor who consistently led Whatley in the polls for the vacant seat.
North Carolina is the second stop in a seven-day, multi-state campaign he won in 2024. It’s about securing the support of Republican candidates in the midterm elections – just two weeks away.
However, earlier this month, the Senate GOP Super Pac announced it had spent $71 million on advertising in North Carolina, in order to pump more money into the Kansas race — a sign that Republicans’ hopes of holding on to the Tar Heel state may be dwindling.
On Monday, Trump rallied to Kansas – as the competition for the Senate there becomes increasingly tight.
“,”elementId”:”f99b4886-66f4-4d58-93b5-b6f022b87af2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
The president’s announcement comes 15 days before midterm elections dominated by anger over rising fuel prices sparked by the U.S. war against Iran.
“,”elementId”:”20e3c32c-b65b-4714-b004-6e44e7b1b45e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Farmers in Kansas, a heavily agricultural state, were hit hard by the aftermath of the war in Iran. A a gallon of diesel costs almost $6almost double compared to the same period a year ago.
“,”elementId”:”d9fde340-45ac-494e-acab-23d5ab211069″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
In August, the president upset cattle ranchers with plan to cut import duties to lower beef price and with aggressive immigration raids that prompted some farmworkers to stay home.
“,”elementId”:”dff27e13-91f2-4208-b064-5ea3a8dbb071″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Trump’s announcement came Monday evening at a rally in Kansas, as Republicans faced growing anger over the cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran. As my colleague David Smith wrote last night: “The fact that Donald Trump is here says more about the impending electoral disaster his Republican Party will face next month than anything in his dark, discursive 98-minute speech.” »
“,”elementId”:”c92619eb-2a8c-4317-9ef0-c1ff407101bd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Trump seemed to recognize that there was a risk that Democrats would win in the state, where no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat since 1932. While he was hesitant about choosing Sen. Roger Marshall for his first term, the president told the crowd: "You’re really kind of – I hate to say it – you’re kind of tending towards purple," The president spoke to about 5,000 supporters at a multi-purpose arena outside Wichita, acknowledging that Kansas already has a Democratic governor in Laura Kelly. “That’s why I have to be sure we have this guy.”
“,”elementId”:”da39c3c5-54ec-4cd4-97fd-fec92631b3d1″}),,”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792498205000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.10 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792498853000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.20 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792498854000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.20 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.20″,”title”:”Trump announces aid to farmers hit by soaring oil prices diesel, as Iran war continues and midterms ahead”,”contributors”:(),”primaryDateLine”:”Tue Oct 20, 2026 9:44 AM EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published Tue Oct 20 2026 8:10 AM EDT”},{“id”:”6ad74e7d8f08ed944964957b”,”elements”:({“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Welcome to the American Politics live blog! My name is Shrai Popat and I’ll bring you the latest from Washington and beyond.
“,”elementId”:”9b302c9e-d767-4397-b61e-9ec48ccdbf66″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
We begin today with Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Greenville, North Carolina – where he will be waiting Michael WhatleyRepublican candidate for US Senate, faces an uphill battle against Roy Cooperthe state’s former Democratic governor who consistently led Whatley in the polls for the vacant seat.
“,”elementId”:”1114ce71-d29c-4033-a165-f270fe5f60ef”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
North Carolina is the second stop in a seven-day, multi-state campaign he won in 2024. It’s about securing the support of Republican candidates in the midterm elections – just two weeks away.
“,”elementId”:”ae468c37-b986-4b17-81f4-3678d52e810a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
However, earlier this month, the Senate GOP Super Pac announced it had spent $71 million on advertising in North Carolina, in order to pump more money into the Kansas race — a sign that Republicans’ hopes of holding on to the Tar Heel state may be dwindling.
“,”elementId”:”d35d958c-8329-4fb0-af51-35363018a8e6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
On Monday, Trump rallied to Kansas – as the competition for the Senate there becomes increasingly tight.
“,”elementId”:”9805cd70-1095-4f8c-88d6-d3dba2782ffc”}),,”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792498205000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.10 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792498486000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.14 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792498205000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.10 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.10″,”title”:”Trump continues midterm campaign blitz in the North Carolina”,”contributors”:(),”primaryDateLine”:”Tue Oct 20, 2026 9:44 AM EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published Tue Oct 20 2026 8:10 AM EDT”}),”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”renderingTarget”:”Web”,”serverTime”:1792504470392}”>
Key events
Today, we’ll also hear from the candidates in one of the thorniest midterm elections: the U.S. Senate race in Michigan.
Here, doctor Abdoul El-Sayedthe Democrat, will face a former Republican congressman Mike Rogers.
They are going debate at 12 p.m. ET in Detroit, and we’ll bring you the latest lines.
It was a contest punctuated by several racist comments launched against El-Sayed, notably from Rogers and Donald Trump. Who sought, without foundation, to link the Democratic candidate’s Muslim faith to extremist groups.
I remind you that my colleagues cover French news, following the riots which saw thousands of arrests this weekend and the implementation of curfews.
Donald Trump has made baseless claims that the riots – which began as protests against the country’s crumbling education system – were due to mass migration.
The president has repeated these lies, even though French authorities have given no indication that immigrants are responsible for the riots. That didn’t stop Trump from kicking off his rally in Kansas by playing a Fox News report before he appeared on stage, which showed looting and destruction after the chaos that erupted in France.
Also today, Trump will begin his day in Washington.
Him and the vice president J.D. Vance will make an announcement in the Oval Office at 1:30 p.m. ET, before Trump returns to the floor.
Trump announces aid to farmers hit by soaring diesel prices, as war in Iran continues and midterm elections loom
Donald Trump announced $8 billion in economic aid for farmers hit by soaring diesel pricesas polls show Republicans are on track for a midterm drubbing.
The president’s announcement comes 15 days before midterm elections dominated by anger over rising fuel prices sparked by the U.S. war against Iran.
Farmers in Kansas, a heavily agricultural state, were hit hard by the aftermath of the war in Iran. A a gallon of diesel costs almost $6almost double compared to the same period a year ago.
In August, the president upset cattle ranchers with plan to cut import duties to lower beef price and with aggressive immigration raids that prompted some farmworkers to stay home.
Trump’s announcement came Monday evening at a rally in Kansas, as Republicans faced growing anger over the cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran. As my colleague David Smith wrote last night: “The fact that Donald Trump is here says more about the impending electoral disaster his Republican Party will face next month than anything in his dark, discursive 98-minute speech.” »
Trump seemed to recognize that there was a risk that Democrats would win in the state, where no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat since 1932. While he was hesitant about choosing Sen. Roger Marshall for his first term, the president told the crowd: "You’re really kind of – I hate to say it – you’re kind of tending towards purple," The president spoke to about 5,000 supporters at a multi-purpose arena outside Wichita, acknowledging that Kansas already has a Democratic governor in Laura Kelly. “That’s why I have to be sure we have this guy.”
Trump continues midterm campaign blitz in North Carolina
Welcome to the American Politics live blog! My name is Shrai Popat and I’ll bring you the latest from Washington and beyond.
We begin today with Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Greenville, North Carolina – where he will be waiting Michael WhatleyRepublican candidate for US Senate, faces an uphill battle against Roy Cooperthe state’s former Democratic governor who consistently led Whatley in the polls for the vacant seat.
North Carolina is the second stop in a seven-day, multi-state campaign he won in 2024. It’s about securing the support of Republican candidates in the midterm elections – just two weeks away.
However, earlier this month, the Senate GOP Super Pac announced it had spent $71 million on advertising in North Carolina, in order to pump more money into the Kansas race — a sign that Republicans’ hopes of holding on to the Tar Heel state may be dwindling.
On Monday, Trump rallied to Kansas – as the competition for the Senate there becomes increasingly tight.
Gn usa
