Sunday shows preview: Trump-Zelensky feud escalates; Controversies hit White House before midterms

President Trump’s new executive order on Friday evening sparked a new wave of bipartisan backlash to his administration’s recent easing of Russian sanctions.

The order halted the implementation of new penalties on Russia set to go into effect under a sweeping legislative package signed into law by the president last month.

It followed Trump’s controversial decision last week to temporarily lift restrictions on the sale of Russian diesel in the U.S. and in the world marketplace amid global fuel shortages.

The Trump administration has been under pressure ahead of the midterm elections to address rising fuel costs in the U.S. amid the ongoing Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright is set to join both CNN’s “State of the Union” and ABC News’s “This Week” on Sunday amid blowback over these relief actions.

Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who is running in Michigan’s tight Senate race, told reporters last week he did not agree with Trump’s decision to allow Russian diesel imports into the country.

“No, not in importing it from Russia,” the GOP nominee said at the time. “I’ve actually called for a temporary export ban just to try to give some relief while farmers are out harvesting.”

Rogers will join CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

Less than 20 days out from the November elections, both parties are seeking to drum up support among their base in battleground states.

Former President Obama is set to travel to Ohio and Michigan next week to stump for Democratic candidates in the states. Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said it was an “ honor ” to receive Obama’s support in his competitive race against Rogers.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who recently made a $1 million donation to El-Sayed’s campaign, stumped for the Democratic candidate in Michigan this week. The New York lawmaker is set to join Maine Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson at a town hall on Thursday.

Jackson will appear on “State of the Union” this Sunday.

Meanwhile, Trump is set to make campaign stops in seven states in the span of seven days next week, including Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia and Michigan.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faces an uphill battle this election cycle, with the Democratic Party expected to regain control of the House.

Democrats had a 77 percent chance of retaking the lower chamber of Congress, according to Decision Desk HQ’s election forecaster on Saturday. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, shifted their predictions in 18 House races toward Democrats last week.

Johnson will join Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” this weekend to discuss the upcoming elections. Cook Political Report publisher and editor-in-chief Amy Walter will appear on “This Week.”

Ahead of the November elections, a number of federal lawmakers and state election officials reported this week that their offices received “suspicious packages.” Several offices were evacuated after staff discovered unidentified white powder in envelopes.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said on Friday that law enforcement intercepted a suspicious mailing before its intended destination of one of his offices in Oklahoma.

“Those who pulled this stunt should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he wrote on social media . “If this was an attempt to intimidate or cause me to no longer use the mail as a way to stay connected with Oklahomans, it has definitely failed.”

The Oklahoma Republican will appear on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” this Sunday.

Additionally, national news this week was dominated by several high-profile staffing changes within the Trump administration.

Newly-appointed White House press secretary Katie Zacharia announced the departure of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle during her first press briefing on Tuesday only to step down from her role only three days later.

Zacharia faced a barrage of questioning over her legal background, after it was discovered she had not passed the bar exam despite identifying herself as a lawyer in media appearances.

Trump told Fox News’s senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy that he was not in a rush to fill the vacancy.

Additionally, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Friday she was no longer serving as the Trump administration’s special envoy to the “Shield of the Americas” coalition.

Noem said in a statement shared on social media that the position was “always a six-month appointment” and that she remains a senior adviser at the State Department.

See the full list of guests on the Sunday morning news shows below:

NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom (D)

CBS News’s “Face the Nation”: Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), Florida Senate candidate Angie Nixon (D), Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand (D), Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackon (D), Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R)

Fox News’s “Fox News Sunday”: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.)

NBC News’s “Meet the Press”: Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.)

Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures”: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton (R), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)

ABC News’s “This Week”: Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Cook Political Report Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Amy Walter