Trump, Vance go deep red 8 days out

It’s Monday. Brazil’s election was the big news overnight, but there’s plenty to get caught up on in the U.S. today. Shall we?

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President Trump and Vice President Vance are each hitting deep-red states today as their pre-midterms blitz in areas that are normally GOP strongholds shows no signs of slowing down.

Trump is heading to Mississippi, where he won by 23 percentage points in the 2024 election. The vice president, meanwhile, will travel to Kansas and Montana, two other states that went easily for the GOP ticket two years ago.

But Democrats are showing some signs of optimism for races in all three states. In Mississippi, the campaign for incumbent Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s (R) seat was recently moved from “solid Republican” to “likely Republican” by the election handicapper Cook Political Report. The Hill’s Julia Manchester has more on that race for Insiders.

The battle in Kansas between Sen. Roger Marshall (R) and Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton , a pastor , has become one of the most surprisingly competitive Senate races this cycle.

Montana’s Senate campaign, which is deemed “likely Republican” by The Hill’s partner Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), has turned into an intriguing race as more Democrats have backed Independent candidate Seth Bodnar instead of Democratic nominee Alani Bankhead. Republican Kurt Alme maintains a solid polling lead over Bodnar.

Vance’s Montana speech is also set to happen in an unexpectedly competitive House district, where Republican Aaron Flint is favored against Democrat Sam Forstag.

Why the focus on red states?: The Hill’s senior vice president of editorial content, Bill Sammon , and DDHQ chief elections analyst Geoffrey Skelley recently broke this down .

The president’s rhetoric aimed at Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed turned ugly this weekend when he said the candidate should have to pass through a metal detector to enter the halls of Congress if elected.

El-Sayed would become the first Muslim senator if he defeats former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).

Trump tied his remarks to El-Sayed’s “record of support for jihadists.” El-Sayed has vigorously denied that he has any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group that is viewed as influential to some prominent fundamentalists, but Republicans have flouted past statements by him that they describe as sympathetic to the group, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports .

While Trump’s comments about requiring a metal detector marked an escalation in Islamophobia, his attacks on El-Sayed are nothing new. He has frequently referred to the Democrat as a “jihadist” and mocked El-Sayed for his name, saying it should be ” Mohammed.”

El-Sayed clapped back on Sunday, noting that Trump “takes personal offense” to his first name.

“I don’t even care that he remembers my whole name. Because he can just go on and call me ‘senator’ after November. I will be Senator Mohamed to you, bro,” El-Sayed remarked at a rally in Grand Rapids, Mich.

In other Trump news on the campaign trail, rapper Nicki Minaj told the president at a Sunday rally that she would support him if he chooses to seek a third term. (He is constitutionally barred from this.)

Dig into the data yourself with every public poll, early-voting trends and live predictions, all in one place. Get full access to Decision Desk HQ with Insider Premium.

🛡️ Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned that Trump’s efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war by “coddling” Russian President Vladimir Putin and limiting assistance to Kyiv are “certain to fail.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a delay in sending missiles for Ukraine’s air defense systems.

🗠 AI giant Anthropic filed for its long-awaited initial public offering on Monday in what is expected to lead to the company’s stock market debut. In its filing, Anthropic also reported a net loss of nearly $81 billion in the first half of 2026.

🏛️ House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) said Democrats will run Hegseth “out of town” if they take control of the lower chamber after the midterms. Congress is set to vote on the Defense secretary’s impeachment upon its return to Capitol Hill in just a couple of weeks.

🏆️ Trump is still feeling salty for not getting this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, apparently. The president on Sunday declared that Norway, where the prize’s selection committee is based, “sucks” and “has become a s—house country.”

🏈 The future of the multibillion-dollar business of online sports gambling is emerging as a potential new frontier in a long-standing era of on-again, off-again tensions between Trump and the NFL. Hill Insiders can learn more about the potentially brewing fight from The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo .

The New York Times : Israeli Jews Across the Spectrum Face an Election of Fears

The Wall Street Journal : Eleven Hours of Trump: What We Saw on the Ground at Seven Rallies in Seven Days

The Atlantic : Some Parents Are Rejecting Trump’s Free Money

The Washington Post : Trump closed down the border — and ended it as a campaign issue

Axios : Democrats lay groundwork to probe Trump’s diesel deal

The House and Senate are out. Trump is in Washington and Mississippi. (All times EDT)

11 a.m. Trump begins a stretch of three policy meetings in the Oval Office.

1:30 p.m. Trump meets with U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco Charles Kushner .

7 p.m. Trump delivers remarks in Corinth, Miss.

🎃 Celebrate : Today is National Pumpkin Day! Whether it’s a slice of pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice coffee or pumpkin spice-flavored Cup Noodles (yes, that was a real thing and can be bought on eBay, apparently), we hope you enjoy an autumn treat today.

Please shed a tear for this poor squirrel , who got rudely awakened by a loud clap of thunder. (Unfortunately, I can’t relate because I’m not exactly a light sleeper.)

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