Inside Trump’s final two-week campaign sprint across deep-red America

Ballrooms. Cognitive tests. The male physique.

As President Donald Trump closes out the midterm election season with a sprint through ruby red America, his message to voters has veered into some unexpected places .

More than ever before, his stops have been remarkable because they’re about one thing: Trump himself. His message to voters is to pretend he’s on the ballot, no matter how unpopular he’s become. Concerns about the direction of the country, or the cost of living, are mostly shoved to the side.

Jetting on Air Force One to states not considered competitive even a few months ago, Trump has privately reflected that the rallies he’s holding now are likely the last where he’s the party’s standard-bearer.

That makes the 20-odd events he’s held this month perhaps the final iteration of the singular political function that is a Trump rally.

In some ways, that has given the onslaught the flavor of a farewell tour. The man who transformed the GOP and the nation’s politics, rally by raucous rally, is now dancing off the stage to the beat of “YMCA.”

CNN traveled across the country to cover the president’s rallies over the last two weeks, including to Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Mississippi, Texas and Ohio — observing the president in action and talking to those who came to see him.

Here’s what stood out to our reporters on the ground.

Betsy Klein in Wichita, Kansas

I’ve been to Trump campaign rallies in nine states this year — some of them multiple times — after covering his presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020 (with a Biden-Harris detour in 2024). It’s been striking how the makeup of his crowd has changed in that time.

The day Trump first announced his candidacy in June 2015, I was at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines for his first stop after coming down the Trump Tower escalator. That crowd was relatively bipartisan. A lot of people were curious. Many were undecided voters. Most just wanted to check it out. I talk to attendees everywhere I go, and this cycle, almost everyone I’ve met is voting straight-ticket Republican. These rally-goers are the most ardent supporters of Trump and his MAGA movement.

Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

But there has been one exception: Kansas, a state that voted for Trump by a 16-point margin in 2024 and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.

At Trump’s rally in the Wichita suburb of Park City on October 19, I talked to a young mom who was undecided in the Senate race between Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and the Democratic candidate, Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor. Her animating issue: the economy.

A small business owner told me he decided to vote for Hamilton after watching Trump’s rally.

“I truly believe Kansas has had enough, and there are plenty of us here to vote and make a difference,” he said.

Alayna Treene in Clemson, South Carolina

The livestock facility on the Clemson University campus was a familiar setting, both literally and figuratively, to one where you’d watch a rodeo.

At least a dozen times on October 21, I watched as unruly protesters were removed by security .

The heckling began within minutes of the president taking the podium.

“You’re a criminal!” I heard one person yell.

“F**k you!” a young man shouted, while flipping the president off with both hands.

“You’re a traitor!” another screamed.

Trump — who has faced regular demonstrators during his recent midterm rallies, more than I recall from covering his campaign in 2024 — brushed the disruptions off with humor.

“I don’t mind when they do that, but it’s always right at my punchline,” he joked following a trio of interruptions. “I’ve had three punchlines, and they time them beautifully.”

“These people are serious losers,” he said.

Adam Cancryn in Fort Myers, Florida

Trump was in his element during his return to southwest Florida — a deep-red area of a state that’s voted reliably Republican for the last decade.

But the fact that the president even had to spend precious time here on October 23 was a stark sign of the wider troubles the GOP faces . He devoted long portions of his speech pleading with the capacity crowd to turn out for downballot candidates. And at times, he seemed in disbelief that key races in Florida were close enough to require his intervention.

Mark Schiefelbein/AP

“Angie Nixon — I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it,” Trump said of Democrats’ Senate candidate, a Democratic socialist making a strong push to unseat Republican Sen. Ashley Moody. “Why can’t I have a candidate like that to run against? Why can’t I, Ashley?”

Trump spent limited time discussing the Iran war and rising gas prices that have made Florida competitive. Instead, he framed the midterms as another loyalty test: If voters supported him, they needed to go to the polls one more time.

“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot, if you don’t mind,” he said.

Rafael Romo in Perry, Georgia

The moment that stood out in Perry, Georgia, on October 24 was Trump’s assertion that the United States is “making hundreds and hundreds of billions, trillions of dollars” in oil at a time when people are facing high prices at the pump.

Appearing to recognize the disconnect, the president acknowledged his aides had advised him not to mention gas prices and oil. “My people said, ‘please don’t mention that, sir!’” he said.

Trump said the media would later report that “President Trump is talking about all the money we are making while people are suffering at the pump,” in a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.

“I don’t give a damn! I’m going to say it. We’re making a freaking fortune!” he thundered.

The crowd erupted in cheers. But I also noticed that some people in the back, closer to where the media riser was, looked at each other in disbelief.

Arlette Saenz in Port Huron, Michigan

When Trump took the stage in Port Huron, Michigan, on October 25, he had another president on his mind.

“My competitor was here yesterday,” he said referring to former President Barack Obama. “He didn’t have a crowd like this.”

Trump’s appearance in the Michigan city bordering Canada came within the same 24-hour span as Obama’s rally in Detroit. (I attended both, and each had sizable crowds, despite Trump’s claim Obama’s event was “sparse.”)

The weekend showcased a rare and remarkable split screen between two presidents offering their competing visions for the country.

With the election nine days away, Trump appeared hyper focused on two things — lobbing anti-Muslim attacks against Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and musing about people’s posteriors, including that of Ohio GOP Sen. Jon Husted.

“I looked at (Husted’s) ass, and I’ve never done that with a man before. Off the record: Women yes, men no,” Trump said.

He singled out one woman.

“By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before, Nicki Minaj,” Trump said, asking the rapper, an ally of his, to stand up. “That’s hard to miss.”

Trump was technically there to campaign for GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers, but that type of commentary seemed more about entertaining his adoring crowd than trying to move the needle with voters in a state hit hard by high gas prices and his trade war with Canada.

Trump teased a compliment for Rogers too — if it would help him win.

“I’d say that about your ass, too, Mike, if it gets you a guaranteed victory. I’ll do anything because we got to get you in,” he said.

Kevin Liptak in Corinth, Mississippi

Extensive recounting of his renovation projects is not unusual for Trump during his rallies, even though many of his advisers would prefer he avoid the topic when speaking to audiences thousands of miles away from the White House who will never see or benefit from the work.

Trump has not taken that advice, and in Mississippi on October 26, he seemed particularly agitated that Obama had maligned his design taste as akin to “Saddam Hussein” opening “a Cheesecake Factory.”

Declaring the Cheesecake Factory a “very successful company,” Trump said Obama just didn’t understand the presidential imperative of building maintenance.

“The White House represents our country, and that has to be pristine,” he said. “And I would try and explain that to a guy like Obama, but he wouldn’t understand.”

Trump insisted he was actually spending very little time on the projects, but went on to describe in detail his efforts to repair the North Portico’s plaster and install a new helipad on the South Lawn.

Inside the Crossroads Arena, those details were not met with particularly rapturous applause. At one point, a protester screamed, “Shove that ballroom up your fat ass,” in a voice that was extremely clear in the room and on-camera.

Arlette Saenz in Lubbock, Texas, and Ed Lavendera in Corpus Christi, Texas

One week out from the election, Trump hit the campaign trail for a Texas two-step with rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock for GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton.

At both stops on October 27, Trump dangled $5,000 checks for Americans if Republicans win control of the House and Senate. In Corpus Christi, he invited voters to spend their cash payment at Mar-a-Lago — before quipping they wouldn’t be able to afford it.

“You could even come to Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said. “The problem is that for $5,000, the most you’ll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert. I’m not even sure you could buy that. No, don’t go there. That’s not a good place if you’re price conscious.”

The joke is an example of Trump’s propensity for going off message to entertain his crowd — with results that sometimes make others in the GOP cringe, especially as affordability remains a top concern for voters.

Trump had been expected to campaign with three prominent football players with Texas roots; ultimately, only two showed up. Later in the day, Trump campaigned with Paxton in Lubbock, a northwestern Texas county he won by 40 points in the last election.

“It’s pretty fun to hang out with the president of the United States for a whole day,” Paxton said on stage. “As we were arriving in Lubbock, he said, ‘You know, I don’t usually do two rallies for anybody.’ He said, ‘I must really like you.’ Mr. President, I really like you too.”

Betsy Klein in Chillicothe, Ohio, and Kevin Liptak in Sioux City, Iowa

In multiple stops, Trump delivered a lengthy defense of what has become arguably the most polarizing ad of the 2026 campaign cycle: a spot featuring the estranged mother of Ohio’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Amy Acton.

The ad — which came from Ohio GOP gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign — has been widely condemned on both sides of the aisle, including by current Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Acton’s mother calls her daughter a “liar” in the ad. Acton has said she hasn’t seen her mother since she was 12, when her mother lost custody of her children as Acton’s stepfather was indicted by a grand jury on charges of sexually abusing her.

In his first trip to the Buckeye State since the ad began to air, Trump told a crowd that included Ramaswamy that any pushback was “very unfair.”

“The mother said that Amy Acton, the daughter, is a liar. That she’s no good. That she lied about the opponent. How the hell is that his problem? Very unfair,” Trump said on October 28, prompting raucous applause from a gymnasium crowd.

Trump similarly embraced the ad in Sioux City, Iowa, the week before. What made that moment somewhat awkward was that the candidate he was ostensibly there to stump for — GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for Senate — had earlier in the day decried the ad as “ridiculous” and said it “needs to come down.”

Bryon Houlgrave/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Hinson was watching off-stage as Trump recounted a conversation he said he had earlier in the week with Ramaswamy. Trump said he urged Ramaswamy to buck Republican calls to take the ad down. Later, the president summoned Hinson on stage, and she didn’t mention it.

It was another example of Trump putting vulnerable Republicans in tough spots. And listening to his speech inside an airplane hangar, it was evident why so many Republicans wish he would stick to issues that are clearer drivers of turnout on their side.

Alayna Treene in Rock Hill, South Carolina

Trump was hyper-fixated on recent polling while in South Carolina on October 29 — insisting that surveys published by the media are “not real” and “totally phony.”

He took particular umbrage with polls testing his approval rating.

“They are so full of it. ‘Donald Trump is at 42%.’ 42%? You mean times two? And add 20. Boy, they are bad. They’re sick people. Fake polls,” he said.

It wasn’t clear which poll the president was referencing. CNN’s Poll of Polls average puts his approval rating at 34%.

After criticizing recent polls for several minutes, Trump took a poll of his own.

“Let me ask you a question: How many polls, how many people in this room were ever polled? Has anybody been polled? Seriously. Raise your hand,” he asked the crowd, which was filled with MAGA hats and sparkly Trump garb. “I’m curious. I’ve never known one person as a Republican anyway.”

Very few attendees — I counted maybe a dozen in the room — raised their hands.

While the president and many GOP operatives have been quick to dismiss polls as often being wrong or undercounting Republican voters, it’s harder to discount the time and energy Trump has spent in reliably red states.

Julia Benbrook in Daytona Beach, Florida

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

“Is there anything better than a Trump rally?” the president asked soon after taking the stage on the Friday before Election Day.

For a moment earlier that day, it seemed like this rally could be the grand finale, with a restful weekend at Mar-a-Lago on the horizon. Within the previous 24 hours, his planned weekend rallies in Kansas and Iowa had been cancelled and then put back on his schedule.

“I thought this was going to be my last one,” Trump told the crowd in Florida. “I thought I could relax.”

His voice sounding hoarse, the president lamented the toll of the past month. “Twenty-eight days in a row of this crap is lot. It’s a lot. My voice is about operating at about 49.2%.”

After his team decided he’d deliver his weekend closing arguments via telerally, the president grew irked at the media coverage of the cancelled events, CNN reported.

But in Trump’s telling in Forida, Republicans in those states asked him to come in person. “I said, ‘Does it matter?’ They said, ‘We just want to make sure that we win.”

Another 90-minute rally seemed to convince him that he had juice for more.

“And so on Sunday, while you’re all watching football, I’ll be traveling in a very beautiful airplane to Iowa, to Kansas.”

CNN’s Kit Maher, Izzy Lippolis and Logan Schiciano contributed to this report.

舞厅。认知测试。男性体格。

随着唐纳德·特朗普总统在共和党占绝对优势的美国展开中期选举冲刺，他向选民传达的信息也转向了一些意想不到的方向。

他的竞选活动比以往任何时候都更加引人注目，因为它们都围绕着一个主题：特朗普本人。他向选民传达的信息是，无论他多么不受欢迎，都要假装他的名字还在选票上。至于国家走向或生活成本等问题，则大多被他抛诸脑后。

特朗普乘坐空军一号飞往几个月前还不被认为是竞争激烈的州，他私下里反思说，他现在举行的这些集会很可能是他作为该党旗手的最后一次集会。

这使得他本月举办的 20 多场活动或许成为特朗普集会这一独特政治功能的最终版本。

从某种程度上说，这使得这场攻势带有了告别巡演的意味。这位曾通过一场场喧闹的集会彻底改变了共和党和美国政治格局的人，如今正伴着《YMCA》的节奏翩翩起舞，悄然告别舞台。

在过去两周里，CNN 走遍全国各地报道总统的竞选集会，包括堪萨斯州、北卡罗来纳州、南卡罗来纳州、爱荷华州、佛罗里达州、佐治亚州、密歇根州、密西西比州、德克萨斯州和俄亥俄州——观察总统的言行，并与前来观看他集会的人们交谈。

以下是我们的记者在现场报道中发现的一些重点。

堪萨斯州威奇托的贝齐·克莱因

今年我参加了特朗普在九个州的竞选集会——有些州甚至去了好几次——此前我曾报道过他2016年和2020年的总统竞选（2024年还报道过拜登-哈里斯的竞选）。令人惊讶的是，在这段时间里，他的支持者构成发生了如此大的变化。

2015年6月，特朗普首次宣布参选的那天，我正好在得梅因的霍伊特·谢尔曼广场，那是他从特朗普大厦的自动扶梯下来后的第一站。当时的人群相对来说比较多元化，不分党派。很多人都很好奇，其中不乏尚未决定投票意向的选民，大多数人只是想来看看。我每次去都会和参加集会的人交流，而这一次，我遇到的几乎所有人都打算直接投共和党的票。这些集会参与者是特朗普及其“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）运动最坚定的支持者。

Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

但有一个例外：堪萨斯州，该州在 2024 年以 16 个百分点的优势投票支持特朗普，并且自 1932 年以来就没有选出过民主党参议员。

10月19日，在特朗普于威奇托郊区帕克城举行的竞选集会上，我与一位年轻的母亲交谈，她尚未决定支持共和党参议员罗杰·马歇尔还是民主党候选人、大型教会牧师亚当·汉密尔顿。她最关心的问题是：经济。

一位小企业主告诉我，他在观看特朗普的竞选集会后决定投票给汉密尔顿。

“我真心认为堪萨斯州已经受够了，我们这里有很多选民可以投票，做出改变，”他说。

南卡罗来纳州克莱姆森的阿莱娜·特里恩

克莱姆森大学校园内的牲畜饲养场，无论从字面意义还是比喻意义上来说，都让人联想到观看牛仔竞技表演的场所。

10 月 21 日当天，我至少十几次看到保安人员将不守规矩的抗议者带走。

总统走上讲台后几分钟，就有人开始起哄。

“你是罪犯！”我听到有人喊道。

“去你的！”一名年轻男子一边喊着，一边用双手向总统竖起了中指。

“你是叛徒！”另一个人尖叫道。

特朗普在最近的中期选举集会上经常遇到示威者，比我2024年报道他的竞选活动时遇到的还要多，但他用幽默的方式化解了这些干扰。

“我不介意他们这样做，但总是在我讲到笑点的时候打断我，”他在被打断三次后开玩笑说。“我已经讲了三个笑点了，他们每次都把握得恰到好处。”

“这些人都是彻头彻尾的失败者，”他说。

亚当·坎克林，佛罗里达州迈尔斯堡

特朗普重返佛罗里达州西南部时如鱼得水——佛罗里达州西南部是该州的深红地区，过去十年来一直是共和党的铁票仓。

但总统竟然要在10月23日抽出宝贵时间来到这里，这本身就鲜明地表明了共和党面临的更广泛的困境。他在演讲中用了大量篇幅恳求座无虚席的听众为其他候选人投票。有时，他似乎难以置信佛罗里达州的关键选情竟然如此胶着，需要他亲自出面干预。

马克·谢费尔贝因/美联社

“安吉·尼克松——我简直不敢相信。我简直不敢相信，”特朗普谈到民主党参议员候选人安吉·尼克松时说道。这位民主社会主义者正全力挑战共和党参议员阿什利·穆迪。“为什么我不能有这样的候选人跟我竞争？为什么我不能，阿什利？”

特朗普很少谈及伊朗战争和不断上涨的油价（正是这些因素使得佛罗里达州的选情变得胶着）。相反，他将中期选举描绘成又一次忠诚度考验：如果选民支持他，他们就需要再次投票支持他。

“在这次选举中，我请求你们假装我的名字出现在选票上，如果你们不介意的话，”他说。

拉斐尔·罗莫在佐治亚州佩里

10 月 24 日在佐治亚州佩里，最引人注目的一幕是特朗普声称，在人们面临高油价之际，美国却“从石油中赚取了数千亿、数万亿美元”。

总统似乎意识到了这种脱节，承认他的助手曾建议他不要提及汽油价格和石油。“我的人说，‘先生，请不要提这个！’”他说。

特朗普说，媒体后来会报道“特朗普总统正在谈论我们赚了多少钱，而人们却在加油站苦苦挣扎”，这是一种自我实现的预言。

“我才不在乎！我就是要说，我们赚翻了！”他怒吼道。

人群爆发出欢呼声。但我同时也注意到，后排靠近媒体看台的一些人面面相觑，难以置信。

阿莱特·萨恩斯，密歇根州休伦港

10 月 25 日，当特朗普在密歇根州休伦港登上讲台时，他心中想的是另一位总统。

“我的竞争对手昨天也来了，”他指的是前总统巴拉克·奥巴马。“他可没像今天这样有这么多人到场。”

特朗普在与加拿大接壤的密歇根州城市发表讲话，与奥巴马在底特律举行集会仅相隔24小时。（我参加了这两场集会，尽管特朗普声称奥巴马的活动“冷清”，但两场集会都吸引了大量人群。）

周末期间，两位总统罕见地以分屏形式展现了他们各自对国家的截然不同的愿景，令人印象深刻。

距离大选还有九天，特朗普似乎格外关注两件事——对密歇根州民主党参议员候选人阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德发起反穆斯林攻击，以及对人们的臀部（包括俄亥俄州共和党参议员乔恩·赫斯特的臀部）进行闲聊。

“我看了（赫斯特德的）屁股，我以前从来没对男人这样做过。私下里说：女人可以，男人不行，”特朗普说道。

他单独点名批评了一名女性。

“顺便说一句，我刚才看到了妮琪·米娜那美得惊人的屁股，”特朗普说着，示意这位说唱歌手——他的盟友——站起来。“这很难让人忽略。”

从技术上讲，特朗普到那里是为了给共和党参议员候选人迈克·罗杰斯助选，但这种评论似乎更多的是为了取悦他那些崇拜他的支持者，而不是为了在这个受高油价和与加拿大的贸易战重创的州争取选民的支持。

特朗普还暗示要夸奖罗杰斯——如果这能帮助他赢得选举的话。

“如果这样能确保你获胜，我也会这么说你，迈克。为了让你赢，我什么都愿意做，”他说。

凯文·利普塔克，密西西比州科林斯

尽管特朗普的许多顾问都希望他在向远在千里之外、永远不会看到或受益于白宫翻修工程的听众讲话时，能够避免谈及这个话题，但他在竞选集会上大肆讲述自己的翻修工程并不罕见。

特朗普没有听取这一建议，10 月 26 日在密西西比州，他似乎对奥巴马诋毁他的设计品味感到特别恼火，奥巴马称他的设计品味好比“萨达姆·侯赛因”开设了一家“芝士蛋糕工厂”。

特朗普称芝士蛋糕工厂是一家“非常成功的公司”，并表示奥巴马根本不理解总统维护建筑物的必要性。

“白宫代表着我们的国家，它必须保持完美无瑕，”他说。“我试着跟奥巴马那样的人解释这一点，但他不会理解的。”

特朗普坚称他实际上并没有在这些项目上花费太多时间，但他还是详细描述了他为修复北门廊的灰泥和在南草坪上安装新的直升机停机坪所做的努力。

在十字路口体育馆内，这些细节并未赢得热烈掌声。期间，一名抗议者大声喊道：“把那舞厅塞进你那肥屁股里！”声音在现场和摄像机里都清晰可闻。

德克萨斯州拉伯克的阿莱特·萨恩斯和德克萨斯州科珀斯克里斯蒂的埃德·拉文德拉

距离大选还有一周，特朗普在德克萨斯州展开竞选活动，在科珀斯克里斯蒂和拉伯克为共和党参议员候选人肯·帕克斯顿举行集会。

10月27日，特朗普在两地都向美国民众承诺，如果共和党赢得众议院和参议院的控制权，将向美国民众发放5000美元的支票。在科珀斯克里斯蒂，他邀请选民们把这笔现金花在海湖庄园——之后又打趣说他们肯定负担不起。

“你甚至可以去海湖庄园，”特朗普说。“问题是，花5000美元，你最多只能买到一个汉堡，也许再加一小份甜点。我甚至不确定你能不能买到。不，别去那里。如果你注重价格，那可不是个好地方。”

这个笑话体现了特朗普为了取悦支持者而偏离主题的倾向——其结果有时会让共和党内的其他人感到尴尬，尤其是在经济承受能力仍然是选民最关心的问题的情况下。

此前预计特朗普会与三位德州裔的知名橄榄球运动员一同竞选，但最终只有两人到场。当天晚些时候，特朗普与帕克斯顿在卢博克县——德克萨斯州西北部的一个县——一同竞选，他在上届选举中以40个百分点的优势赢得了该县。

帕克斯顿在台上说：“能和美国总统一起待上一整天真是太棒了。我们抵达卢博克时，他说：‘你知道吗，我通常不会为任何人参加两场竞选集会。’ 他说：‘看来我真的很喜欢你。’ 总统先生，我也非常喜欢您。”

俄亥俄州奇利科西的贝齐·克莱因和爱荷华州苏城的凯文·利普塔克

在多站行程中，特朗普对一则可以说是 2026 年竞选周期中最具争议性的广告进行了冗长的辩护：这则广告的主角是俄亥俄州民主党州长候选人艾米·阿克顿疏远的母亲。

这则广告来自俄亥俄州共和党州长候选人维韦克·拉马斯瓦米的竞选活动，受到了两党人士的广泛谴责，包括现任共和党州长迈克·德瓦恩。

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

在广告中，阿克顿的母亲称女儿是“骗子”。阿克顿表示，自从12岁那年继父因性侵指控被大陪审团起诉，导致母亲失去监护权后，她就再也没见过母亲。

在广告开始播出后，特朗普首次访问俄亥俄州，他告诉包括拉马斯瓦米在内的人群，任何反对都是“非常不公平的”。

“这位母亲说女儿艾米·阿克顿是个骗子，一无是处，还撒谎诋毁对手。这跟他有什么关系？太不公平了。”特朗普10月28日说道，此言一出，体育馆内的观众爆发出热烈的掌声。

就在一周前，特朗普在爱荷华州苏城也对这则广告表示赞同。但令当时场面略显尴尬的是，他表面上是去为共和党众议员、参议员候选人阿什利·欣森助选的，而欣森当天早些时候却谴责这则广告“荒谬”，并表示“必须撤下”。

拜伦·霍尔格雷夫/彭博社/盖蒂图片社

特朗普在台下讲述了他本周早些时候与拉马斯瓦米的一次谈话，当时辛森正在台下观看。特朗普说，他敦促拉马斯瓦米不要理会共和党人要求他撤下那则广告的呼声。之后，总统把辛森叫到台上，但她只字未提此事。

这再次表明特朗普让处境脆弱的共和党人陷入了困境。听着他在飞机库里的演讲，就不难理解为什么这么多共和党人希望他能专注于那些更能提振共和党选民投票率的议题。

南卡罗来纳州罗克希尔的阿莱娜·特里恩

10 月 29 日，特朗普在南卡罗来纳州时，对最近的民意调查格外关注——他坚称媒体发布的调查“不真实”且“完全是捏造的”。

他对测试其支持率的民意调查尤其感到不满。

“他们简直胡说八道。‘特朗普的支持率是42%。’42%？你是说乘以二？再加20？我的天，他们太糟糕了。他们是病态的人。虚假民调，”他说。

目前尚不清楚总统指的是哪项民调。CNN的民调汇总平均值显示，他的支持率为34%。

在批评了最近的民调几分钟后，特朗普自己也进行了一项民调。

“我问你们一个问题：你们当中有多少人做过民调？做过民调吗？真的有人做过民调吗？说真的，请举手。”他问在场的众人，他们戴着“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）的帽子，穿着闪闪发光的特朗普竞选服饰。“我很好奇。反正我从来没认识过一个共和党人。”

房间里举手的人寥寥无几——我数了数，大概只有十几个。

尽管总统和许多共和党人士迅速驳斥民调经常出错或低估共和党选民人数的说法，但很难忽视特朗普在传统共和党州投入的时间和精力。

朱莉娅·本布鲁克在佛罗里达州代托纳比奇

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

“还有什么比特朗普的竞选集会更好的吗？”总统在选举日前的那个星期五登上讲台后不久问道。

当天早些时候，人们一度以为这场集会会是他竞选活动的压轴大戏，之后他将在海湖庄园度过一个轻松的周末。就在此前24小时内，他原定在堪萨斯州和爱荷华州举行的周末集会先是被取消，随后又重新安排到日程中。

“我以为这将是我最后一次竞选，”特朗普在佛罗里达州对人群说。“我以为我可以放松一下了。”

总统的声音嘶哑，他感叹过去一个月的疲惫。“连续28天都是这种糟心事，太难熬了。我的嗓子现在大概只剩下49.2%的功能了。”

据 CNN 报道，在总统的团队决定通过电话集会发表周末的最后陈述后，总统对媒体报道取消的活动感到恼火。

但据特朗普在佛罗里达州的描述，那些州的共和党人邀请他亲自到场。“我说，‘这重要吗？’他们说，‘我们只想确保我们能赢。’”

又一场90分钟的鏖战似乎让他相信自己还有余力继续前进。

“所以，星期天，当你们都在看橄榄球比赛的时候，我将乘坐一架非常漂亮的飞机前往爱荷华州，再到堪萨斯州。”

CNN的基特·马赫、伊兹·利波利斯和洛根·斯基西亚诺对本报道亦有贡献。