▲ U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally.
U.S. President Donald Trump visited battleground Senate states on November 1, local time, just two days ahead of the midterm elections, appealing to his supporters to rally behind him.
In his final campaign stops, he once again brought up the Alaska gas project and continued his messaging pressing Iran.
Visiting Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, President Trump said, "We will elect Republican candidates who put America First everywhere," adding, "All I am asking is that you go out and vote."
He launched a fierce attack, calling the Democratic Party "a completely corrupt party" and stating, "We must prevent America-hating communists and jihadists from taking over the United States."
Highlighting the achievements of his second administration, President Trump brought up Alaska, saying it was "completely dead until I stepped in," and suggesting that "we have a pipeline where ships go to Japan, South Korea, China, and places like that."
This appeared to be an effort to present the Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline development project as a fait accompli and claim it as his own achievement.
On this day, President Trump did not repeat his previous claims that South Korea had decided to invest in the Alaska project.
The South Korean government maintains its stance that investment decisions will be made only after commercial viability for the Alaska LNG project is secured.
Touting that foreign corporate investment in the U.S. has increased thanks to his tariff policies, he also emphasized, "(Companies from) Canada, Mexico, Germany, Japan, and South Korea are coming back."
He did not miss the opportunity to mention the war with Iran.
President Trump said, "The only reason I don't want to finish off Iran is because I want to show goodwill," and added, "If possible, I want to save everyone's lives. But at some point, we are going to deliver a powerful strike."
President Trump has repeatedly sent messages signaling the resumption of attacks on Iran while simultaneously seeking a negotiated settlement.
In addition, President Trump sought to calm public sentiment by claiming that prices, including oil, will soon drop, while blaming the previous Democratic administration for inflation.
He also repeatedly argued that the surge in oil prices caused by the war with Iran is "a small price to pay for security."
Regarding centrist Haley Stevens—who was eliminated in the Democratic primary ahead of the U.S. Senate election in Michigan—publicly endorsing the Republican candidate following a conflict with hardline progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Trump welcomed the move, saying he hopes "Stevens joins the Republican Party."
House Speaker Mike Johnson accompanied President Trump to the Iowa rally.
Speaker Johnson urged citizens to vote, stating that national polls are flawed and noting, "It's not over yet. The corrupt media is using fake polls. We decide (the election results) on Tuesday (election day)."
He dismissed various polling results suggesting that Republicans could lose not only the House but also the Senate to Democrats as "fake," thereby boosting his supporters' will to vote.
President Trump subsequently visited Kansas to campaign for candidates there.
Both Iowa and Kansas, with their heavy reliance on agriculture, were strongholds that supported President Trump by wide margins of over 10 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, but Republican candidates are struggling ahead of the midterms.
President Trump plans to deliver a speech in front of the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on November 2, the day before the midterm elections.
Having wrapped up region-specific tours to urge support for Republican candidates on this day, he is expected to promote the urban modernization projects pursued in Washington, D.C., on November 2 while once again urging voters to cast their ballots for the Republican Party.
From October through today, President Trump has maintained a grueling schedule, visiting various parts of the country nearly 30 times to campaign for candidates.
His visits to Iowa and Kansas were initially canceled, but after criticisms arose suggesting the cancellations were due to physical strain related to his advanced age, the schedule was reinstated.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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