Inside President Trump's Red-State Campaign Strategy

0:00This episode is brought to you by Sleep Number. If you're wondering about how to upgrade your shut eye, Sleep Number's incredible line of a bed is your answer. You can make these beds firmer or softer whenever you want, sleep cooler or warmer, and even keep the same bed as your needs change over time, thanks to a design made to last 25 years. Upgrade your sleep this holiday season. Shop at one of Sleep Number stores nationwide or at sleepnumber.com. Spotify advertising connects you with an audience that's engaged and ready to discover your brand. Launch a campaign with Spotify ads manager. I'm Greg Jarrett. I'm Kayleigh McEnany. I'm Craig Gowdy and this is the Fox News rundown. Friday, October 9th, 2026, I'm Jackie Heingrich. With control of Congress on the line, President Trump and Vice President Vance have begun a nationwide midterm campaign blitz. But can the GOP hold off a blue wave? A lot of Republicans who aren't high propensity voters, they like check the box and they

1:03like, okay, Trump's president, they move on with their lives. Getting those folks out has been the big question mark of this race. I'm Jessica Brosenthal. Money is on the move in major Senate and House races as election pressure builds, the Supreme Courts back in session and confusion deepens over the legal fallout at Cornell University. You know, when you think about a settlement situation, that's a great question because there's going to be potentially a lot of liability here. And I'm Joe Consci. I've got the final word and the Fox News rundown. Democrats could potentially flip enough seats in Congress to gain majorities in both chambers. President Trump is warned that if that happens, they will try to stop him and his agenda. This week in the Oval Office, Fox's Peter Ducey asked the president for potential grounds for impeachment by the Democrats. He said a group of lawmakers has already been asked that. They said, we don't know. I don't know. One of them was just dumbfounded by the question. He said, yeah, we would have peaked him.

2:05What would you exactly have peaked him for? Well, I don't know. Let's see. Let's think. Meanwhile, the president continues to travel around the country to rally Republican support. This week, I went to Texas with him, where he reiterated that he's urging voters to pretend that he's on the ballot. When I'm on the ballot, we get exactly 48% more votes. So, you know, in a way, we are on the ballot. Let's face it, because they're going to destroy everything that we've done. So please pretend that I'm on the ballot. Get out and vote. So, is the White House's campaign strategy working so far? And what's the outlook for the majority party in the closing weeks of the midterm campaign? Democrats are in a powerful position, I think, if you had to choose which one you wanted to be in. Mary Catherine Ham is an outkicked columnist and a Fox News contributor. We spoke Thursday afternoon. But what will mitigate losses from Republicans in an off year that is likely to not be super strong for them as it is historically the case, the things mitigating it are the map and the money. So, Republicans have a ton of money on hand that they can drop at the last month of

3:09this election, whether that makes a difference in how people perceive them is an open question, because sometimes you can't fight the environment. The map is interesting, though, because although it is widening for Democrats, the universe of swingable seats in both the Senate and the House is just smaller than it used to be, particularly for Democrats when it comes to these fights. A lot of these fights that they're having in contested Senate races, seven of nine of them, I believe, are in Trump one state. Some of them were Trump one by double digits. But is obviously good news for Republicans. But the bad news is those probably shouldn't be competitive states considering they're in Trump double digits states. So they're waging war on their own turf in that way. But a lot of those are tough rows, so. What do you think the driving factor is in why the president is spending so much of his time in these red states as opposed to visiting the battlegrounds, directing money, there, with the exception of Texas, which I think is a pretty well-worn story there.

4:13We know what happened in that race and why the president's having to focus so much of his time there. But why is he having to go to Tennessee and Alabama? Why are they choosing to do that? So I think they're choosing to do that because the thing that he actually can help with without bringing Republicans down in some ways is in those really red areas running up the score. Because there has been an enthusiasm gap for the entire year, perhaps for the entire two years since 2024, where a lot of Republicans who aren't high propensity voters, meaning they are not in the habit the way sometimes Democrats are of doing it in midterm years, they like check the box and they like, okay, Trump's president, they move on with their lives. Getting those folks out has been the big question mark of this race. And so he's on the ground in those red states to make sure they get those numbers high enough. No, is it concerning that he has to be in those red states? Yes. If you sent him to a place like Minnesota, which is in a blue state and margin of error race between Michelle Tsufoya, former sportscaster and now political figure versus the lieutenant

5:16governor Peggy Flanagan, if you sent him there, you'd take off a bunch of people that Michelle Tsufoya needs to earn, right? So you don't want him on the ground there. You want her to make her own very savvy argument about how Flanagan is connected to fraud. And maybe your anti-Trump feeling is actually an anti-encoming feeling and you should fire the people in charge here. What are the voter issues that are driving those decisions? Is it the economy? Is it something else? I think the economy is always number one on people's minds. People got very angry rightfully during the Biden years about inflation, about it making their lives harder. And although inflation itself has come down, the price of goods, once they've gone up, to get them back down where they were before, is just a very, very hard thing to do. There's also the fact that the president very loudly and proudly on tariffs and the Iran War, which the Iran War I actually agree with, it's worth the price to pay at the pump for a brief period to make this play for national security and international security.

6:17Tariffs, the argument is less compelling, but on both fronts, he said to voters, I'm doing this thing, this is what I believe in, and it will raise prices for you. And he's been quite clear about that. He's given points for honesty, but I'm not sure how much people are excited about it. And at the same time, Democrats are benefiting from this sort of environment without having to grapple with a lot of the issues that cost them the last election. Say they have some wins in the midterms, what's on the horizon looking beyond that? Do they still have the big challenge in 2028 of figuring out what causes the party is going to be rallying around or is it still just anything but Trump? I do think they have those problems because at some point Trump is gone and you have this internal fight that's still raging between, say, and Abdul Al Sayed and a Haley Stevens, who's much more pro-Israel and a national security type figure, a sensible figure on that front, but she was beat out by this quite big stream figure on the left.

7:20So there's still going to be having that fight. And I do think that if they overreade something like an L.S.I. ad winning in Michigan, which hasn't elected a Republican Senator in decades, on a D-plus-9 very good off here for them, if they overreade that, as AOC said, the reason that they can take socialism everywhere across the map, I don't think that will go well for them in a lot of battleground states in 2028. What are Democrats saying they want to do if they win power? I mean, is the question of impeachment, is that something that voters want to see from them? I wonder what the patience will be for something like impeachment because it is not a kitchen table issue. The president will be out of office in 2028. And so dealing with that in the meantime, although I think there are corruption lines that they could follow that might play well with voters, if you get caught up in only doing that and not answering people's real issues, then I think you have a problem. The other thing that seems to animate their base is cutting off all aid to Israel, which

8:23that is not a kitchen table issue, right? So if you're constantly talking about foreign policy, you're going to fall into a trap as well, with not dealing with what people are dealing with in their daily lives. So we've got just a couple weeks left. How much of a difference does an October surprise make at this stage in the game? What kind of October surprise could make a difference on either end of the equation? Or are people's opinions kind of made up at this point? A little bit more of the mind that a lot of people have made up their minds at this point. The advertising can make a difference. I'm not sure about October surprises, partly for this reason. If you look back at 2006, a huge year for Democrats, this feels like about the same difference and enthusiasm, possibilities for Democrats. However, like I said, the universe of swingable seats is much smaller than it used to be in 2006. And also at this point in 2006, almost no one had voted. And that is not the case anymore. Almost all of these battleground states and competitive races, people have started early

9:25voting. So there are a lot fewer people to affect with an October surprise by the time you get to mid-October. What would your bumper sticker message be to Republicans looking at the last few weeks on the campaign trail with the horizon in front of them? What do they need to harp on and what do they maybe need to leave in the rearview mirror? I think my favorite thing that I've seen is Rick Jackson's campaign in Georgia for governor, because he has said basically, this was 2020. Remember 2020, they will take you back there. And he's running against Kichellands bottoms, who was the mayor in 2020 at Atlanta where a lot of very bad things happened. And I think that's a message that works for people. They don't hide the fact that they want to live in 2020 most of the time, whether it's Telary, or El Sayed. And I think that's an argument you can make to voters. Mary Katz and Ham, always great to talk to you. Thank you so much. See you again soon. Thank you. Appreciate it. Thanks. LinkedIn is pretty amazing at helping you grow your small business.

10:33We cannot make your email response time faster. We can help you sell market and hire in one place. We cannot help you find space for your three desk drinks. Why do you have three? And while we can't help you find the perfect volume for your presentation video, LinkedIn can help you find the perfect audience for your business. Grow your small business on LinkedIn. Learn more at LinkedIn.com slash small business. And throughout the year, Phil Hemer takes listeners on a journey through the 250 most impactful moments in American history. Listen and follow now at FoxNewsPotcasts.com. This is Joe Kahnchew with your Fox News Commentary coming up. The Senate Leadership Fund recently canceled additional spending in North Carolina and then booked as much as $10 million in ad buys in Kansas to help Senator Roger Marshall defend his seat from moderate Democrat pastor Adam Hamilton. Upon hearing that, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote that that move says all

11:35you need to know about which direction the Senate Majority is headed. But the Democratic Senate candidate in North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper, downplayed the money move. I think that's a head fake. There's been very little funding actually moved out of North Carolina. North Carolina has a history of razor thin US Senate races. I don't expect this one to be any different. The Senate Leadership Fund is also now spending millions in South Carolina to shore up darling Graham as she runs for her late brother Lindsey Graham seat. After committing to spending $100 million in Texas to help Ken Paxton, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters in September, We are competitive all across the country and all the states where we have what I would characterize as competitive contested Senate races. And I don't think resources are going to be an issue. The National Republican Senate Toriel Committee Chairman, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott recently told Fox News. I'm very excited about where Texas is right now. Listen, the good news is we've closed the gaps significantly.

12:38Paxton is within striking distance. The Fox News power rankings do indicate that Democrats have the edge in seven of eight Senate battlegrounds with only Kansas pulling in a dead heat. And Democrats are very confident House Minority Leader Huckim Jeffries remarked at some of the Republican funding moves. The Republicans are desperately spending money and places all across the country in a fruitless effort to try to defeat Democratic incumbents while at the same time leaving Republican held seats increasingly vulnerable. In fact, some long held Republican seats are now in toss up territory like Rob Whitman's Virginia District and Iowa's open second district held by Ashley Henson, who's now running for Senate. During the frustration, it's been bubbling behind the scenes, but more and more of it's going public. Fox News Sunday, Anchor Shanna Brem is also the host of the live in the Brem podcast about Republicans who feel like the president should have managed things differently. They're frustrated about the conflict in Iran. Was that necessary in a midterm year?

13:40Why is it still lingering? You know, the price impact. We all know that affordability and economy show up number one in every single poll, not just this year, but nearly every year. And so why exacerbate that situation when the president's argument in 24 was, look, we were doing great with the economy before COVID hit. I know what I'm doing. I'm a businessman. The economy was clicking along very well for a lot of Americans. And there's a lot of frustration among Republican lawmakers and candidates out there that they're having to fight this very uphill battle. They, you know, and I, as I said, many more of them saying publicly in a conflict they think didn't need to happen or should have been wrapped up a long time ago. Do you think is the disconnect there because the president is saying, look, they would have had a nuclear weapon. We would never have been able to have negotiated with them again. They would have had a piece of leverage that would have just been too big and dangerous. Do people just not believe him or do they think it wasn't really that serious a threat?

14:40Well, Democrats have done a good job messaging. It wasn't that serious of a threat. It wasn't that immediate. This was unnecessary. It's given them enormous leverage in the messaging to say you wouldn't be suffering this much if the president hadn't taken this step that was unnecessary. It's hard to, you know, for people it's hard to explain to them. Listen, if something terrible had happened, if Iran had gotten a nuclear weapon and carried out some sort of attack, you know, this would be a totally different conversation. But when people are living in relative, you know, safety and security here on the whole land, it's hard to make the reality of the worst case scenario very real to them when what's real to them is every time they fill up the gas tank or go to the grocery store, that's the real world check for them. You know, one of the biggest tells Shannon is where a party spends its money at this moment in time. And we know, for example, AdVisive and canceled in North Carolina. That Senate seats now leaning Democratic, but that's a swing state. When you have someone in Arkansas like Tom Cotton spending $13 million when he spent

15:43less than a million six years ago or you see five million spent on ads in the Mississippi Senate race for city hide Smith, is that stronger evidence even than polling or are those financial decisions of reaction to polling? It's a great question. And we've had a big debate about polls, which have been in some cases very inaccurate over the last couple of cycles. It's gotten tougher to poll because people don't have landlines that they regularly answer. People screen their calls or they don't pick up on cell phones. Online polling is not as precise as we would like it to be. So, you know, there's a lot of question about, you know, what do we know about the polls? Everybody says the only one that matters is Election Day and that's true. But I think that there are trends out there that for Republicans are very worrisome. And it tells you too that a lot of these folks, their internal polling, the stuff we don't see publicly is also giving them the same warning red lights. We are hearing that from a few different campaigns that the internal polling also has all of the warning signs. So, people spend money where they have to and where they think they need to.

16:46But, you know, we're talking about Senate races that shouldn't have been this difficult, as you said, for Republicans and places like Arkansas, certainly Texas, where they've had to divert from other places that might have been winnable with more of an investment. Yeah. What are you going to be paying most attention to as your sign on midterm eve? If I know some say like if the Texas Senate seat flips, that would be like the story of the night. James Talleriko does lead Ken Paxton and our Fox polling, but only by a bit. What are your spidey senses watching? Well, and I think that, you know, Republicans are having this little bit of outside hope, the Minnesota Senate race, the New Hampshire Senate race. They feel like those are within the margin of error. And if they could pull off some surprises there, they could have a good night. Michigan certainly wanted to watch as well. Kansas. There are really, you know, a handful of states that will make the difference when it comes to those Senate seats. So look to see if there are any interesting hopeful sides for Republicans and some of those unexpected seats like New Hampshire. But man, it could just be one of those things where there is a wave that crashes across the

17:47country from, you know, West East Coast. And, you know, it's just one of those nights where Republicans are going to have to say, as President Obama did back in his midterms, it took us a lot, shellacking. And now what can we do for Republicans? I think many of them have said, okay, there's almost no analysis that shows us holding the house. And now if it's Speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, he's going to have to manage some very progressive folks. He's going to have to be the one hurting the cats over there now. But the Senate obviously is a great concern to Republicans because it's where you get your federal judges and Supreme Court justices confirmed. And to lose the Senate would create all kinds of headaches on numerous fronts for this administration and make it the lamest of lame ducks. A lot of folks would argue for two years. Well, thank you for all that. Let's pivot to this Cornell case. I want your thoughts. This woman reported being sexually assaulted at a fraternity back in the fall of 2024 at Cornell. She went to university police. And the DA in Tompkins County said they never got the full details apparently that the

18:47time they were told this was consensual and no charges were filed. But just last month, this woman, Jane Doe filed a civil lawsuit saying the ball was dropped here. And she's naming the university. Do we know legally if the university did what they were supposed to do or at least what they thought they were supposed to do or does it look like something was missed here? Yeah, I think you hone in on the critical question because if the DA says, because the first thing I did when the story broke was to go read with the DA had released, which was her statement that she signed. And you don't see that she's openly alleging a rape or gang rape in those words. But if that is what the police report said, that's what she said to them, that's the critical question. Where did that break down? Now she did apparently sign off on the statement to the DA that we've seen. It's been out there as you publicly. Why did she then not insist on the word rape being, you know, she made some handwritten

19:47notes on that statement. And why did the Cornell Police Department not include that wording if that was what she told them? I think that's one of the biggest questions of all right there because the DA is going, you know, he's got to go with what he has now. He has also said we informed whether it was through the Cornell Police or someone else. We sent the message to this woman and to her legal counsel if they wanted to talk to us about our decision to not prosecute. We would have that conversation to them. So that feels like a missed opportunity too. If that had been communicated to her team and they elected not to have that conversation, that seems like a missed opportunity to say, hey, she is alleging this was a rape. This was a gang rape. And those are the words and the allegation that she very clearly wants to make. So there's definitely something that got lost in translation between the police department and the DA's office. And to me, that's the critical question. We have New York's Attorney General, Latisha James named as a special prosecutor.

20:49We have former deputy attorney general Sally Yates being brought in by Cornell's board to conduct a review. I imagine Cornell does not want this to get any bigger than it's already gotten. Are we talking about a potential settlement or a potential sort of agreement to make some sort of reforms? What do you anticipate happening here? Well, it's interesting to me that you have heard people on all sides of this say that they have faith in Sally Yates and they are hopeful that she will do a neutral, strong, fact-based job. So it's good to hear that there are people on opposite sides of this thing who say, we have some faith in this process now. You know, when you think about a settlement situation, that's a great question because there's that going to be potentially a lot of liability here. But I think Cornell also, with the message you saw from the president that came out last weekend, they want to very much communicate that they take this seriously, that there is a framework in place that they are going to absolutely make sure that these kinds of allegations are fully vetted.

21:50So, you know, if there's evidence that it wasn't fully vetted or properly communicated to the DA, that's a big issue. So I think no matter what happens, there's a strong possibility that, you know, there's a report. This is where it broke down. Sally Yates has her findings. And Cornell says, this is where we can do better and make you a pledge that we will. And that may be wholly apart from any kind of financial liability they run into as well. And I can't leave without a Supreme Court question because this was the first week of their new term. We heard a couple of cases, the first one having to do with whether a county can seek damages from oil and gas companies over climate change. But what do you think of the upcoming cases? Which one do you think may end up having, I guess, the biggest impact when we have a discussion in June or July of next year? You know, we've got a case looking at AR-15 bands, Arizona citizenship voting requirement rules, or is it possibly a case that's not even on the docket yet, Shannon? Yeah, I think you have a good nose for that because I think that some of the biggest stuff is still to come. We do have a couple of immigration cases that deal with the president's policies.

22:54The administration's policies, some of them have been very controversial, deporting people to third party countries. They have no connection to the courts. Can you hear that? And also about detention without bond. I mean, there's a lot of policy stuff that will make the president either very happy or very angry with these justices. There's a lot of religious liberty connected stuff too. I interviewed Daniel Grant, who's one of the plaintiffs, that he's a Jewish man who wanted to host a prayer meeting for other Jewish men in his house, like 10 men. A neighbor somehow found out about it and complained, got the mayor involved, and then he was told he had to have a permit to pray in his home. And so I think that is one of those things that many Americans will hear that and say, what? I mean, how many people do you know that have, you know, Minyan prayer in their home? They have a Bible study of some kind. I think that one is asleep, but he's a very interesting guy. And much of the case he did prosay, meaning he was representing himself. So to end up at the Supreme Court on your own, like that he's got a fantastic legal team around him now.

23:54But the case is very interesting to me in a lot of different fronts. Fox News, Sunday, Anchor Shannon, Vroom. Thank you. Thanks, Jess. And now some good news with Tanya J. Powers. Veterans who served aboard the USS Ogden have been reuniting annually for more than 40 years. And recently they gathered for the first time in the city that gave the vessel its name, Ogden, Utah. Douglas Parker served on the Ogden from 1976 to 1979. I was a boiler technician. I worked down in the engine room, providing the steam for the entire operation of the ship. To be stationed aboard the USS Ogden named after my home town. Howard Lincoln spent part of his military career on the ship as well. We would operate the ballast tanks to sink the ship down to launch the Marine Corps amphibious craft. They said even though he's far from home, he's still in Ogden.

24:56The Ogden was an Austin class amphibious transport dock that served from 1965 to 2007, designed to carry Marines, equipment, and landing craft. It aided in combat missions, including the Vietnam War and Desert Storm. During this year's reunion, Ogden Mayor Ben Nadolsky presented a proclamation recognizing the heroic efforts of the service members. May the name USS Ogden forever remind us that the ship is more than steel in their scenery. Her true legacy is found in the women and the men who served aboard her. The sacrifices they made in the bonds they carried with them for a lifetime. Parker summed up why the Ogden remains so special to them. We had a mission to serve for our country and we did it. And like I said, I was very proud and honored to be able to serve. Tanya J. Powers, Fox News. MUSIC HALADAYN presents In the red corner, the undisputed undefeated weed whacker guys!

26:01Champion of hurling grass and pollen everywhere. And in the blue corner, the challenger, extra strength, HALADAYN! I'd rocked and work all day to prevent the release of histones that caused itchy allergy eyes! And the winner by knockout is HALADAYN! HALADAYN! Bring it on! It's time for your Fox News commentary! Joe Concha! What's on your mind? Well, Ram a manual who may be a 2028 presidential contender on the Democratic side. Join, meet the press on NBC on Sunday and he was asked, hey, do you endorse fake doctor,

27:03Abdul El-Sahed? Here was his answer. My support's not important. I said yes. My support's not important. It's the mission-convoter's support that's important. Well, for a guy who says that the party needs to get back to the center and a guy who says that Democratic Socialists need their own party and should stay out of the establishment Democrat party, that was as much of a weasel answer as you're ever going to hear from any politician. Now, let's be clear about who Ram a manual is and where he comes from. He was raised in a staunch Jewish household. I know this because I'm reading his brother, Arya manuals, look right now and got the whole skinny on that. So it's just amazing that at this point that Ram a manual cannot condemn or say he will not endorse fake doctor Abdul El-Sahed and I call him a fake doctor because if you want to be a doctor you kind of have to have a medical license and he doesn't have one of those. But outside of that, a guy who campaigned with Hassan Piker, the guy who said that America deserved 9-11, the guy who said that Jews are imbreds, the guy who said that Hamas is

28:091000 times better than Israel and the guy who said that his favorite flag in the world is that he has bala, a terrorist organization whose primary mission is to wipe out the Jews. Yeah, I would think being a Jewish guy who was raised in a strict Jewish household would therefore say it's a no-brainer. Of course not, I will never support Abdul El-Sahed who also by the way can't condemn the IRGC, can't condemn the Muslim brotherhood and has been awfully silent when it comes to the atrocity that happened on October 7th, 2023. So Ram a manual, where are you? Will you please stand up? Because either you're a politician who says all the right things to gain power or you're all talk and no action, all foam and no beer. I'm Joe Consha.