Trump, Vance and candidates make final push before US midterms 

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have begun their final push ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with Republican and Democratic candidates spreading out across the United States for a last day of campaigning.

Trump is scheduled to deliver his closing campaign message at 2pm ET (19:00 GMT) on Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC.

Republicans are trying to hold their majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives despite Trump’s low approval ratings and polls predicting that the Iran war, high energy prices, and the affordability crisis could mean a strong night for Democrats.

Trump stays in Washington

Closing the campaign at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC, is a departure from Trump’s recent strategy. The US president has staged more than 25 rallies in largely conservative areas over the past month, and wrote that Sunday’s rally in Kansas was the “last stop” of his 2026 midterm campaign tour.

The reflecting pool is also politically awkward. Trump’s renovation of the historical landmark ran nearly three months late and cost more than 10 times the initial budget. The “American-flag blue” liner also began peeling after he declared the work complete, according to the Associated Press.

In an interview on the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast, Trump said that, in the event of having to work with Democrats, he’ll become “Mr. Veto”.

“It wouldn’t be the first time [we] have a president and he doesn’t have the Senate. They set stuff up, you veto it. After a month or two of getting things vetoed, they come over, and you make a deal,” he said.

Vance was due in Rome, New York, early Monday to boost Republican candidates for the House of Representatives Anthony Constantino and Kailee Buller at a rally that began at 9:15am ET (14:15 GMT).

Constantino is running to succeed longtime Republican Representative Elise Stefanik, who is not seeking re-election. A Siena Research Institute poll shows the race could be close despite a Republican registration advantage of about 80,000 voters.

“A new poll conducted by Siena Research […] shows that while voters in the district still favor Republicans more broadly, that sentiment does not necessarily translate to support for Constantino,” North Country Public Radio reported.

Democrats target key Senate races

In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is holding a “Get-Out-The-Vote” canvass rally at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti on his last morning of the campaign.

He is then due in Flint at 1:30pm ET (18:30 GMT), Royal Oak at 3:30pm ET (20:30 GMT) and Detroit at 4:30pm ET (21:30 GMT) for a final rally.

In Texas, Democrats James Talarico and Gina Hinojosa are making final pushes for Senate and governor, respectively, with a joint rally in Austin at 6:30pm CT (00:30 GMT on Tuesday).

Talarico’s opponent, Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, is scheduled to appear in Conroe at 12pm CT (18:00 GMT) and Allen at 6:30pm CT (00:30 GMT).

Polls show Talarico narrowly ahead of Paxton, while Governor Greg Abbott’s lead over Hinojosa has narrowed.

More Democrats for your consideration

In Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson will make campaign stops in Yarmouth, Scarborough, South Portland, and Portland, with scheduled events starting at 9am (14:00 GMT) and ending at 6pm ET (23:00 GMT).

In Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek will be touring Harlan, Onawa, Le Mars and Sioux City to meet with voters, from 10am CT (16:00 GMT) to 6pm CT (00:00 GMT)

In Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton will be out from 7:30am CT (13:30 GMT) to 1pm CT (19:00 GMT), speaking to voters across Wichita, Topeka and Lawrence. The final event of the day has not yet been announced.

ICE at polls in court

Separately, a federal judge in Washington is due to hear a lawsuit early Monday over whether immigration agents can be present at polling places. Common Cause, UnidosUS, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the city and county of Denver are challenging the US administration’s position that armed agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may enter polling places for immigration enforcement.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in September that agents would not patrol polling sites but could enter to respond to threats or serve warrants on people. The plaintiffs argue that such operations would violate a federal restriction on armed personnel at voting places and could intimidate voters.

The Department of Homeland Security has said ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations.