Live updates: Trump holds rally in Alabama a month out from Election Day
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Trump stumped for Republican candidates tonight in Mobile as part of his midterm elections blitz to 17 states.
What to know today
- ALABAMA RALLY: President Donald Trump held a rally tonight in Alabama as part of his 17-state midterm blitz. Notable matchups in the state include the governor’s race between Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Democratic former Sen. Doug Jones.
- GOP AD SHAKEUP: A top Republican super PAC is canceling its ad spending in the Senate race in North Carolina and launching a new ad effort in Kansas, the latest sign the fight for the majority is shifting to red states amid an increasingly tough landscape for the GOP.
- REGISTRATION REVERSAL: Democrats have reversed registration losses in several key states heading into this year’s midterms, adding more registrants on net than Republicans in Arizona, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, an an NBC News Decision Desk analysis has found.
- VANCE ON THE MIDTERMS: Vice President JD Vance acknowledged in an interview with NBC News that Republicans face an “uphill climb” in next month’s midterm elections — and that the results may be a data point he reviews as he decides whether to run for president in 2028.
Former GOP Rep. David Rivera sentenced to 10 years for secret Venezuela lobbying
A former Miami congressman and longtime friend of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was sentenced today to 10 years in prison in connection with a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on Venezuela’s behalf during the first Trump administration.
Republican David Rivera has been jailed since jurors found him guilty in May on all counts, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of his work for former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ’s government.
David Rivera. Joe Raedle / Getty
Rivera, 61, appeared stone-faced as Judge Melissa Damian denounced him for betraying his life’s mission, saying he would surely have been judged harshly his many friends had the millions of dollars come from the Cuban regime instead of its allies in Caracas.
“Nobody would accept that’s OK and I don’t think this is different,” the judge said. “There’s no dispute this money came from the Maduro regime.”
One month out, Abdul El-Sayed's campaign cites ‘attention economy’ as his strength
Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign manager says the Michigan Senate Democratic candidate’s ability to use the “attention economy” to his advantage has kept him in position to prevail in the race.
“Abdul dominates the attention economy and the conversation among the chattering class who just want to talk about the horse race and Twitch streamers. But amidst the noise, what’s Abdul talking about with Michigan families? Gas. Groceries. Healthcare,” campaign manager Alia Kapasi wrote in a memo, first reported by NBC News. “How Donald Trump and Mike Rogers are corrupt and selling out Michigan families to make themselves richer.”
El-Sayed, whose primary campaign against moderate Haley Stevens divided Democrats, has sought to saturate the media environment by giving numerous interviews to spread his message, including with a Fox News host openly opposed to his campaign.
The memo touts the progressive candidate’s prospects in the purple state against Trump-backed Republican Mike Rogers, claiming that “Mike Rogers’ campaign has stalled.”
Kapasi argued that if Rogers could not win in 2024 when Trump was on the ballot, “he’s in an even worse position now.”
The Michigan contest is one of the most competitive Senate races this fall, one that will shape the balance of power in the chamber. El-Sayed leads in most recent polls, often within the margin of error.
Trump concludes his rally remarks in Mobile
Trump has wrapped up his speech in Mobile, Alabama, speaking to the crowd for about an hour and 10 minutes.
Anna Moneymaker / Getty
The president urged the audience to show up at the polls in November and "pretend I'm on the ballot," a phrase he's repeated during his stump speeches heading into the midterms.
Trump receives standing ovation in Alabama for G7 diesel deal
Trump earned three standing ovations from the crowd in Mobile tonight, the second of which was responding to the president's new deal with G7 members on diesel exports.
"Today, I spoke with members of the G7 nations, and I’m pleased to report that we have reached an agreement for Europe to release massive amounts of diesel fuel from their heavily stocked reserves," Trump said, with the audience standing up and cheering loudly.
Trump said everyone will see the price of diesel “really come down” after they finish the war with Iran.
The deal came today after Trump and his administration have pressured European allies to cut into their national emergency stockpiles of diesel fuel as its price has soared in connection with the war in Iran.
Trump repeats prediction that Iran war will end after midterms
The president said tonight that the war in Iran will end "probably right after the election," a claim that he's repeated in recent weeks as more Americans say they disapprove of the war the U.S. and Israel launched in late February.
"It’s going to end very soon, probably right after the election," Trump told the crowd. "But as soon as it does end, oil prices will come tumbling down."
"Remember about the oil. They’re paying a price, but boy, is that a small price than what it would be if these lunatics were allowed to have a nuclear weapon and used it on Mobile, Alabama?" he added, saying the war will be over soon "one way or another."
Trump's remarks come as the average cost for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is currently $4.39, according to data tracked by NBC News.
Trump touts 'golden age of America' despite sinking approval rating
Trump repeated his claim tonight that "this is the golden age of America" despite the fact that his approval rating continues to slip.
"It’s a golden age," Trump said. "Our nation is doing better now than ever before."
About 59% of Americans disapprove of Trump, according to NBC News' latest polling. The president's favorability has sunk as voters blame Trump for rising prices as the war in Iran continues, NBC News' polling found.
Trump tells crowd in Alabama that he'll return next week for football game
Trump told the crowd in Mobile this evening that he will be back in the state next weekend for the Alabama vs. Georgia football game on Oct. 10.
Anna Moneymaker / Getty
The president was welcomed to the stage with loud cheers, which reignited when he told them he'd be in town to see the game at the University of Alabama.
Trump went to the University of Tennessee last week for their game against the Texas Longhorns.
Trump takes the stage in Alabama
Trump is now onstage in Mobile, Alabama where he'll speak to voters as part of a 17-state campaign blitz ahead of the midterm elections.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty
The president's visit tonight comes after he made appearances in Denton, Texas and Durant, Oklahoma yesterday.
Staunch Trump supporters in Alabama say higher prices are worth the 'longer term goal'
As Trump takes the stage in Mobile, Alabama this evening, some of his most loyal supporters will be in the crowd. Among them are those who say that rising prices linked to the war in Iran are worth achieving the president's long-term agenda.
Asked whether she still supports Trump despite paying more at the pump, Alabama resident Terri LaPoint told NBC News today that she does "because the president has always looked at the long game."
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty
LaPoint said Trump is "willing to take the, to take the hard choices in the immediate" for the "longer term good." She echoed a promise that Trump has made to voters in recent weeks, saying, "I believe that right after the election, we’re going to see the gas prices plummet."
Alabama resident Aimee Brown told NBC News that she does not blame Trump for the raising prices. Asked whether she believes the war has been worth it so far, Brown said it has.
"Yes, we need to make sure our enemy is contained, and we definitely don’t want them to have nuclear weapons because that’s not good for the entire world," Brown said.
John Fitzsimmons, another Alabama resident, offered a similar response when asked whether he blames Trump for high prices.
"Well, look, I’m just telling you, we do not need Iran to have a nuclear bomb, and so that’s what it was all about," Fitzsimmons said. "We had presidents in the past; they just kind of kicked that can down the road, and Trump didn’t. He went ahead and tackled it, and I appreciate him for that."
Fitzsimmons added that "this little bit of pain we’re going through right now is just going to be short-lived. I believe it’s all going to go away pretty soon, and everybody’s going to be very happy."
Two former GOP governors in Kansas endorse Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton
A second former Republican governor in Kansas has endorsed Adam Hamilton, the Democratic candidate running for a Senate seat against Trump-backed Sen. Roger Marshall.
Emily Curiel / Kansas City Star via Getty
Former Gov. Mike Hayden wrote in an op-ed for The Wichita Eagle today that he no longer supports Marshall, who is running for a second term, despite the fact that Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.
"I ran for office for the first time when I was only 28 years old because I felt the person representing my community in the legislature was failing to fight for the needs of our state," Hayden wrote. "Today, I am endorsing Adam Hamilton for the U.S. Senate for the same reasons."
Hayden criticized Marshall's support for tariffs and the war in Iran, which have raised costs for Americans, writing, "Governing should always center around the best interests of the people. Right now, our sitting senator, Roger Marshall, is failing to live up to that standard."
Hamilton said in a statement today that he was "honored" to have Hayden's endorsement, writing that the former governor "knows how to put party and politics aside to deliver for working families, and I am so honored to have him by my side as I strive to do the same."
Hayden, who served as governor from 1987 to 1991, gave his endorsement to Hamilton after fellow former GOP Gov. Bill Graves, who served from 1995 until 2003, backed him last month.
"With our nation facing increasing partisan gridlock and division, it's time Kansas does something different," Graves said in a video posted on X. "For the last six years, Senator Roger Marshall has turned his back on Kansas. In contrast, Adam Hamilton stands as a bulwark of kindness, humility, and service to others."
Graves said, "It is for those reasons and many more that I believe Kansas should send Adam Hamilton to the U.S. Senate, and I'm proud to endorse him."
The governors' support comes as a top Republican super PAC has canceled its ad spending in the Senate race in North Carolina to instead launch a new ad effort in Kansas' race, where Democrats are hoping to net a traditionally Republican seat.
Federal court temporarily blocks Trump administration’s border wall in Texas’ Big Bend region
A federal court in Texas today issued a ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration from building a border wall and other infrastructure across the state’s Big Bend region.
The news marks a major win for landowners, businesses and environmentalists in the region who have united to oppose the planned infrastructure projects, which are part of a $46 billion effort by the Trump administration to line the southern border with a mix of 30-foot-tall steel walls, vehicle barriers, roads and surveillance technology.
Judge Kathleen Cardone said in her ruling that the plaintiffs were “likely to succeed on the merits of at least one of the claims in suit, that there is a likelihood that they will suffer serious, irreparable harm without an injunction, and that the balance of the equities and the public interest weigh in their favor.”
Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Opponents of the border wall project have argued that the Big Bend region of Texas is so remote and the landscape so rugged that it serves as its own deterrent to illegal immigration and that the administration violated the law when it issued a swath of waivers allowing it to bypass numerous regulations in order to speed up border wall infrastructure projects.
Maryland firm awarded $20 million contract for government-funded Trump ads
Maryland-based firm LMD Agency was awarded the $20 million contract for the new taxpayer-funded ads featuring Trump, according to public contracting records.
The purpose of the contract is listed as a “national media campaign,” according to the contracting records, which show the money came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
LMD Agency and its CEO did not respond to a request for comment.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, declined to say whether the full $20 million would be spent between now and Election Day.
Asked for comment on the contract, a department spokesperson said in a statement: “DHS follows all applicable rules for contracting decisions and keeps all decision makers informed. All contracting decisions are made in accordance with applicable law.”
The spokesperson added, “We refer you to the White House’s previous statement.” The White House has called the ads “public service announcements.”
Trump says he won't impose an export ban on diesel after G-7 countries agree to release millions of barrels of fuel
Trump told reporters outside of the White House this afternoon that he will no longer pursue an export ban on diesel after the member countries of the Group of Seven agreed to release tens of millions of barrels of the fuel earlier today.
Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images
"We have a very good relationship with Europe, and they wanted to do it because they have a lot of diesel," Trump said. "They use diesel, and they had a lot of diesel. I said it would be great if you put it out to the markets, they did it."
The president said that Europe was "going to be making a major world contribution, and so are we."
"And we're not going to be doing the export ban. We're going to be doing what we're supposed to do," Trump said. "But I did ask them, and we're going to have a lot of oil very shortly. As soon as Iran ends, which won't be long, not going to be long, and you're going to have oil go down to the price it was before, maybe even lower than I got it at the beginning."
Asked whether a ban was fully off the table, Trump responded that the U.S. was never going to impose a ban and praised the Group of Seven for agreeing to release oil.
He added, "They use diesel disproportionately more than most, and they did a great job."
Trump, who has been pressuring European leaders to dip into their national emergency stockpiles, told reporters earlier this week that he was "thinking about" imposing an export ban and had spoken to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright "about it a lot."
The push for the deal with European allies comes as the average price of diesel in the U.S. has skyrocketed by 70% since the war with Iran began earlier this year, according to AAA.
G-7 countries to release up to 100 million barrels of diesel and crude oil reserves
Member countries in the Group of Seven agreed on Friday to release tens of millions of barrels of diesel fuel and crude oil, the latest move by industrial economies around the world to cap soaring gas prices.
Brandon Bell / Getty
Following a G-7 videoconference hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “Europe has just agreed to release a massive amount of their heavily stocked Diesel Oil.”
“The process will begin immediately,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
U.S. labor market slows with midterms on the horizon
The U.S. labor market slowed during the month of September, according to new data today from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A job fair in Chicago, in May. Scott Olson / Getty
The economy added only 29,000 jobs, fewer than expected by economists. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2%.
Average hourly earnings for workers rose only 0.1% from the prior month and 3% from a year ago. Friday’s data marks the sixth straight month of wages tracking below inflation. BLS will report September inflation numbers on Oct. 14.
Vance to campaign in Alaska on Monday
Vice President JD Vance will head to Alaska on Monday to campaign ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
The state features statewide races this cycle for governor, House and Senate, with the latter contest becoming more competitive than previously expected.
GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan is running against former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. Peltola has previously won statewide — she was elected to the state’s lone House seat in 2022.
Further complicating the race is the presence of a third-party candidate on the ballot who also goes by the name Dan Sullivan. Republicans have accused Democrats of recruiting the latter Sullivan to run and confuse voters who may vote for him thinking they’re voting for the incumbent senator.
A sluggish Congress punts a long list of tasks until after the election
A statistically unproductive Congress has officially left town until after the midterm elections, punting a long list of tasks into the lame-duck session.
Hao Zhao / Xinhua via Getty
The Republican-controlled Congress must:
- Fund the government and prevent a shutdown by Dec. 11.
- Pass a new farm bill that sets U.S. agriculture and food policy.
- Pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act.
- Decide what to do about warrantless surveillance powers known as FISA Section 702.
- Finish or abandon a college sports bill.
- Finish or abandon a bipartisan permitting reform deal to streamline construction projects.
And then, Republicans want to pass deregulation bills that are conservative priorities and, potentially, another Republican party-line spending bill — which may include an extension of the debt limit.
Kennedy Center Honors to be held off-site for the first time in the ceremony’s history
For the first time in the nearly 50-year history of the event, the Kennedy Center Honors will not be held inside the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts this year, the center announced Friday.
Getty
With the main building currently closed to the public, and safety assessments still underway, the center announced it plans to move the celebration of American performing arts to Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C., which seats around 20,000 people compared to the 2,300 seats in the center’s Opera House, where the awards ceremony has traditionally been held.
Trump is expected to name intelligence director Jay Clayton as AI czar
President Trump is expected to name Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton as the White House’s artificial intelligence czar, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty
The president teased the move this week and will most likely announce it on social media as early as Friday, the source said.
Rubio waives human rights restrictions to release $320 million in military aid to Egypt
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has waived a restriction on $320 million in military aid to Egypt that had been previously withheld over human rights concerns, citing Egypt’s help in dealing with Iran since the conflict began earlier this year.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
The State Department said Thursday that Rubio had signed off on the waiver “in the interest of U.S. national security.”
GOP super PAC pauses North Carolina Senate race spending, launches in Kansas
Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with GOP Senate leadership, is pausing its ad spending in the North Carolina Senate race and launching a new ad effort in Kansas.
The spending moves, first reported by Semafor, were confirmed by two people familiar with the decision. One person said the group has not paused spending in the Georgia Senate race, where Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff has also been leading GOP Rep. Mike Collins.
In September, SLF spent more than $17 million on the North Carolina race, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact. The group has another $19 million in ads booked through the end of October.
But the decision to not to spend additional resources in the perennial battleground is a signal that the race between former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley is drifting further out of reach for the GOP.
The shift to Kansas is also a sign that the race between GOP Sen. Roger Marshall and Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton is increasingly in play. Trump won Kansas by 16 points in 2024 and Democrats have not won a Senate race there since 1932.
How Trump’s homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rights
In a secret meeting at the White House complex this summer, an aide to Stephen Miller laid out the plan: To make it easier for states to round up and institutionalize mentally ill homeless people, the Trump administration was pushing a drastic policy change that would weaken the rights of millions of disabled Americans.
Hugo Dwyer, one of those seated around the wooden conference table, couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
The strategy described by Miller’s aide, Daniel Wasserman, threatened to roll back decades of progress in the disability rights movement — all to serve the president’s demand to clear homeless encampments in U.S. cities.
“I really cannot support this,” Dwyer, an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities, recalled telling Wasserman. “You’re talking about forcing people into institutional settings.”
Cheney Orr for NBC News
Trump says South Korea is investing $8.4 billion in an oil recovery project
Trump announced this morning South Korea that South Korea is investing $8.4 billion in an oil recovery project, though he didn't provide additional details.
"I am thrilled to announce the Republic of Korea Deal keeps getting BETTER! 8.4 Billion Dollars for an enhanced Oil Recovery Project. Producing more Oil and Gas means American Energy Dominance and Energy Security in the World for the Future!" he wrote on Truth Social.
It comes after Trump announced a plan this week for South Korea to invest $54 billion to build a natural gas pipeline in Alaska, part of a broader South Korean investment of $200 billion as part of the U.S.-Korea trade and investment agreement announced last year.
Trump to hold rally in Alabama tonight as he embarks on midterm elections blitz
Trump is set to hold a rally in Alabama tonight as part of his midterm elections blitz to 17 states.
The president will deliver remarks around 6 p.m. ET in Mobile, according to the White House. Alabama isn't considered a battleground state, though there are a few notable matchups in the upcoming general election.
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville is running for governor against Democratic former Sen. Doug Jones; and GOP Rep. Barry Moore is running for Senate against Democrat Everett Wess. NBC News rates both races as solid Republican.
The president is expected to travel to at least 17 states before the midterm elections. Last night, he held a rally in Oklahoma. Trump has acknowledged in recent days that Republicans face an uphill battle in keeping control of Congress, noting that the party in power has often lost historically in midterm elections.
Democrats regain ground on voter registration in key states after steep post-2024 drops
After suffering massive voter registration losses in the wake of the last presidential election, Democrats have stemmed the bleeding in several key states heading into this year’s midterms, according to an NBC News Decision Desk analysis.
A polling location in Augusta, Maine, during a primary election in June. Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty
NBC News’ Decision Desk analyzed voter file data from TargetSmart, a progressive data firm, for seven of the states that were the closest in the 2024 election and which registered voters by party: Arizona, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. From late 2024 through late 2025, Republicans significantly improved their voter registration margin over Democrats in all seven states, including by roughly 100,000 in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
But from late 2025 through the middle of this year, Democrats managed to reverse, though not completely erase, those losses in five of them, adding more registrants on net than Republicans in Arizona, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. And in New Hampshire and North Carolina, Democrats have slowed the decline.
Trump clashes ahead as new Supreme Court term begins
Trump’s harsh criticisms may still be ringing in the ears of Supreme Court justices when they return to the bench for a new nine-month term next week.
In the final months of its previous term and over its summer break, the conservative-majority court, which includes three Trump appointees, ruled against Trump on some of the issues he holds most dear.
Vance talks 2028, Ted Cruz and a tough midterm climate that could factor into his future
Vice President Vance acknowledged yesterday that Republicans face an “uphill climb” in next month’s midterm elections — and that the results may be a data point he reviews as he decides whether to run for president in 2028.
“Historically there’s always a bit of an uphill climb, and I think you definitely sense that,” Vance said in an interview with NBC News. “I also think you can sense a sense of cautious optimism, in the sense that, you know, people feel like the numbers are sort of moving, maybe in our direction.”
He added: “Politically, there’s just a recognition that it’s always going to be hard to win a midterm when you have the White House, the Senate and the House.”
Vance spoke aboard Air Force Two shortly after it landed on a return trip from Lakeland, Florida, where he campaigned for Sen. Ashley Moody and Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee for governor. It was his latest headlining gig at a rally meant to boost support for the party’s candidates in what is expected to be a challenging year for the GOP.
