Free Republic

President Donald Trump said he doesn’t care what the polls and the “fake news” are showing: he is confident the Republicans are going to shock the world — and the Democrats, in particular — and perform much better than expected in the 2026 midterm elections. The president struck an optimistic tone while rallying for the GOP in Vandalia, Ohio on Saturday evening. He said Republicans will be just fine, as long as conservatives don’t stay at home on Election Day. “They’re in for a big surprise. It’s very simple: You gotta get out and vote. You gotta get out. You...

One month until Election Day, voter dissatisfaction with the economy, concerns about political extremism and frustration with President Trump have Democrats within reach of flipping four Republican-held governorships, opening a wide lead in Iowa and an expanding advantage in Ohio among likely voters, according to new polls by The New York Times and Siena University. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican fixture in the state for decades, is now narrowly behind his Democratic challenger, Gina Hinojosa. The Democratic candidate also has an advantage in the race for governor of Alaska. The only place surveyed where the Republican is ahead...

President Donald Trump on Saturday reiterated his pledge to give every adult U.S. citizen $5,000 if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in next month's midterm elections, while warning of an economic "disaster" if Democrats win."Our country is doing so well under Republican leadership that only I can make you this promise," Trump said in a video posted on Truth Social. "If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I'm going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America $5,000.""But Democrat policies won't allow this to happen," Trump said. "In fact, the opposite...

The nation’s two largest states by land area gave Democrats a boost in the battle for Senate control Saturday, with candidates in Texas and Alaska hitting 50% or more in new polls. Both races would represent pickups if Democrats are able to hold on and win on Nov. 3, which is just a month away. In Texas, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico leads Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, 51% to 45%, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Saturday. President Trump’s approval rating in the state stands at 40%, compared with 57% who disapprove. The poll, which examined...

Donald Trump attempted to turn up the heat on fellow Republican Tom Cotton in the fight to change daylight saving time, even giving out what appeared to be the Arkansas senator's personal cell phone number. The President spent much of Saturday speaking out in favor of The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent. The bill passed the House in July but faces roadblocks among Republicans, including Cotton, who is strongly opposed. 'For some reason, Tom is stopping the Bill and, in the Senate, it´s very easy to do, it only takes one!' Trump wrote on social...

President Trump on Thursday said “it’s possible” the Iran war could cost him the November midterm elections by risking Republican control of the House, Senate or both. “Well, it’s possible. It should help,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before heading to a campaign rally in the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma. “Because Iran will not have a nuclear weapon. So when you say, ‘Is it OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’ I would say 100 percent of the people say no, including worldwide. So, when you say it that way, it would help. If you don’t say...

President Donald Trump again insulted Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, calling him “a pain in the a**” before wondering aloud, “Is he here, by the way?” The president has used similar lines countless times before, including at his Republican midterm convention in Dallas, where he declared, “He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly perfectly, and he may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen, but you know what he is? He’s the greatest attorney general in America, and he deserves to be your next senator.” His latest remarks came as he returned to Denton, Texas,...

Ken Paxton, one of the party’s top Senate candidates and a Trump loyalist, said that “everybody’s numbers dropped” after the event, according to audio obtained by The Times. Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas, told a group of conservative donors and lobbyists last week that President Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas had hurt Mr. Paxton politically, according to an audio recording obtained by The New York Times. The recording, which is muffled at times, captures Mr. Paxton being asked, “Do you feel like he’s a little bit of a drag?” It is not clear from the audio...

Adding stay-at-home parents to the eligibility list for federal child care subsidies would not require additional funding. It would simply reshuffle who receives subsidies. If every state implemented the administration’s plan and prioritized the newly eligible parents, our simulation estimates that roughly 195,000 children’s subsidies would move from single-parent households that qualify through work to households that qualify because one member is not working. This scenario is politically and legally unlikely. But it illustrates how the proposal treats federal welfare as a tool for winning the culture war without regard for the broader economic damage caused by the policy change.

Vice president’s appeal to dissatisfied Republicans aims to mend fences and rally supporters against Democrats for the midterms—and beyondThe midterms are approaching and the vice president is Vance-splaining. JD Vance is smoothing the harder edges of President Trump’s words, or expanding on them, as he reaches out to dissatisfied conservatives and urges them to stick with Republicans in the midterms. Asked about Trump saying last week he was “proudly banning” CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, Vance on Monday replied: “I take some issue with the premise, he’s not banning media outlets,” and said it was a...

"US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is quietly removing some of the recruits it hired during last year’s rapid expansion, raising fresh questions about a hiring campaign that brought thousands of new employees into the agency — and about what happens to the generous incentives offered to attract them. An investigation by The Washington Post found that ICE has begun firing some employees recruited during the push to expand its immigration enforcement workforce. The campaign was launched to provide additional manpower for the Trump administration’s mass-deportation programme. The rapid recruitment drive was backed by unusually large financial incentives. What happens to...

A federal judge has ordered the White House to immediately restore access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico. NBC News’ Nikki Battiste and Gary Grumbach report on the judge’s ruling.

The Trump administration is directing more than $174 million in additional funding to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced on Tuesday the one-time investment at the HBCU Summit at the White House, which brought together administration leaders, university presidents, and others. "For nearly 200 years, HBCUs have been engines of opportunity in communities, advancing critical innovations and uplifting local industries across the nation," McMahon said. "This new investment will help ensure these vital institutions have the resources they need to continue delivering world-class education and to prepare students for success in a rapidly evolving economy."...

The Great Greenland Crisis has ended, and Donald Trump has declared victory. Last Friday, the president announced that he had reached a deal with the Danes that would give “the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.” The barren, icy prize is finally ours. Or is it? Despite the usual bluster, bravado, and social media posts showing Greenland colored in with the Stars and Stripes, Trump’s avowed aim of annexation was not accomplished. The Dannebrog will still flutter in the Arctic breeze. According to a statement put...

YARDLEY, Pa. (AP) — Mary Ryan may be a registered Republican but she has never voted for President Donald Trump, turned off by his crass style of politics and chaotic approach to governing. But the 60-year-old medical writer from the Philadelphia suburbs has consistently backed her party’s congressman, five-term Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Until now. This year, Ryan is so fed up with Trump and his grip on Congress that she is planning to vote in November for Fitzpatrick’s Democratic opponent in the 1st Congressional District, Bob Harvie, a twice countywide elected commissioner who is a former social studies teacher.

The Trump administration will allow an Iranian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly next week, albeit with some restrictions, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday. The decision to grant Iranian top officials visas to travel to New York City for the annual meeting of global leaders comes seven months into the U.S. war with Iran. “Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend U.N. General Assembly High Level Week,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the...

🔵 GA: Ossoff +7 (LINK) 🔵 NC: Cooper +6 (LINK) 🔵 OH: Brown +4 (LINK) 🔵 MI: El-Sayed +2 (LINK) 🔵 TX: Talarico +1 (LINK)

Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) has taken direct aim at President Donald Trump and his immigration crackdown in a new re-election ad, warning that the Hispanic voters who helped return him to the White House in 2024 now feel “betrayed.” The congresswoman, who endorsed Trump in 2024 and urged Hispanic voters to back him, delivered the unusually direct message to the president as she campaigns for another term in her Miami-area district. “Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50% of the 50,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful...

*** RealClearPolitics polling averages on Wednesday show Democrats ahead in Texas, Michigan, Maine, Alaska, Ohio, and New Hampshire.*** In Texas, Democrat state Rep. James Talarico leads Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton by 2.6 points in the latest RCP average, 47.6% to 45%. Talarico leads in eight of the 10 polls included in the current RCP average, while Paxton leads in one*** Michigan also shows a narrow Democrat advantage, with Abdul El-Sayed leading Republican Mike Rogers by 1.8 points, 46.5% to 44.7%, in the current RCP average. Seven of the 10 polls in the polling set show El-Sayed ahead, two show...

Top White ⁠House ⁠advisers, including Vice ⁠President JD Vance and Secretary ​of State Marco Rubio, have privately warned ‌President Donald Trump that ‌the conflict with Iran could ⁠extend ⁠through the remainder of his presidency, the Wall ​Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing U.S. officials. The White House did not immediately ​respond to a Reuters request for comment. The ⁠advisers ⁠told Trump in private ⁠discussions ​in the Oval Office and the Situation ​Room that ⁠Tehran could continue to resist U.S. pressure, potentially prolonging the conflict beyond Inauguration Day in January 2029, the ⁠Journal added. The reported warning contrasts with Trump's own...