At 7:57 tonight, Donald Trump grabbed the handrails and hoisted himself onto the stage through the slit in the dark navy blue curtains before slowly making his way to the podium. Appearing less enthusiastic than at past rallies, his irritable nature made more sense when he stopped to tell the audience how he really feels about campaigning for his fellow Republicans at these rallies: “I thought this was going to be my last one, Byron. I thought this was it. I thought I could relax. 28 days in a row of this crap is a lot. It’s a lot.”
This came the day after he abruptly canceled the rallies he had planned for this weekend. Then, hours later, they were once again added back to his schedule, except now they would both be taking place on Sunday, so that Saturday would be wide open for him to spend the day at his golf course instead.
His deranged comments didn’t stop there. They just kept coming, including when he stopped to reassure the audience that he had never been attracted to his sisters and had never married either of them. “Have you ever married your sister? You know what I said? No. I said, ‘No, I haven’t.’ Swear. I swear I did not marry my sister.” He continued, “I never proposed to them… They’re beautiful, but I was never particularly attracted to either of them. It’s not my deal.”
It was another evening of national embarrassment for the American people, filled with the bizarre and disturbing ramblings of the sitting president of the United States of America, just four days before one of the most consequential midterm elections in modern American history.
The rally itself was a disaster for Donald Trump as he struggled to maintain control of his emotions and temper. Protesters interrupted him multiple times, and each time, he became more visibly agitated. “Shut up. Shut up. Dope. Shut up, loser,” he barked at one of them, before adding, “These guys are losers. It’s always at my punchline.” He claimed, like he always does, that they were “paid by Soros” for $250 each and that his team had their names. The reality is that they are not being paid, and more and more people are protesting because they know how important it is to do so. It throws Donald Trump off his game, signals to those in that room that they are on the wrong side of history even if they can’t see it, and reminds the American people and the rest of the world that there are millions of us who see exactly what is happening to our country and refuse to stand silently by while he destroys it.
These rallies used to be his sanctuary, the one space where he could keep the illusion of power intact. Now, night after night, in front of the cameras and his most loyal supporters, he is seeing for himself that even the people who once made him feel untouchable can no longer shield him from the growing resistance to his presidency. Even some Republicans in Kansas and Iowa privately expressed relief when he initially canceled the rallies because they feared his appearances would do more harm than good to their candidates. His own party does not want him there anymore. Yet he still said on stage tonight in Daytona Beach that he only un-canceled the weekend rallies because people called and begged him to show up. “They said, ‘Sir, would it be possible to do a little rally of about 50,000 people each?’ And I said, ‘Does it matter?’ They said, ‘We just want to make sure that we win.’”
That last line said more than he meant. They are losing, and they know it. The Cook Political Report now says that Republicans’ path to keeping control of the House has all but evaporated, with the likeliest outcome being Democrats flipping between 12 and 25 seats. That is why the danger of this moment keeps growing with every passing day. The Trump regime sees no legitimate path to holding onto unchecked power, so they are resorting to increasingly desperate measures, including what appears to be preparations to interfere with an election it expects to lose.
Tonight, Trump also repeated his promise to send $5,000 to every adult citizen in the United States if Republicans win the House and the Senate. “Our country is doing so well under Republican leadership that only I can make this very powerful promise to you,” he said, before telling the audience that the cost of the checks would be approximately one trillion dollars, funded by what he called “record-setting” economic success and tariff revenue. He warned that if Democrats win, there would be no checks and that “you will have a 1929-style economic depression.”
What he didn’t say is that he cannot unilaterally send those checks, and he didn’t answer the obvious question: If we are making all this money and creating all this wealth, why is the deficit increasing? Just back in May, the national debt surpassed the size of the entire U.S. economy for the first time since World War II, reaching $31.27 trillion. The stock market, which Trump loves to cite as proof that everything is going exceptionally well, just had its worst week since June, driven by a sell-off in tech stocks that sent the S&P 500 tumbling. Even among Republicans, less than half believe he will actually follow through on sending the $5,000 checks. The promise was never meant to be kept in the first place. It was a bribe for votes, a promise we can add to the stack of other promises he never keeps.
That wasn’t the only story of how his administration could interfere with the elections. On Wednesday, MS NOW published a report by Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig revealing that seven people with knowledge of internal discussions among FBI agents said some agents fear they may be ordered to seize voting machines or take other actions that disrupt election results. Current and former FBI officials are worried that the Department of Justice could seek warrants based on thin or specious allegations of voting irregularities, allowing armed officers to swoop in and seize ballots or machines. Rob D’Amico, a former supervisory FBI agent, said, “I and others are worried that the FBI will be the administration’s arm into seizing voting machines or issuing warrants on questionable probable cause.” This comes after what happened this past January, when the FBI seized ballots and election materials in Fulton County, Georgia, under a warrant tied to previously debunked fraud allegations. Attorney General Todd Blanche has also refused to rule out taking action after the election and would not even say that sending armed federal immigration officers to polling places would be wrong.
And if those efforts don’t work and produce the results the Trump regime wants, they are already building their excuse for why they lost. CTV News aired an exclusive report that U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told a closed-door meeting that Ottawa could be blamed if key races in next week’s midterm elections go against the Republican Party. Trade adviser Peter Navarro warned Canada directly, saying, “If you interfere in our elections in Maine or Michigan, you will pay even more dearly.” Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the claims and warned that the allegations could lay the groundwork for blaming Canada if Republicans lose seats. This is the 2026 version of the stolen election myth, and they are seeding it now, before a single ballot has been counted on Election Day. Canada did not cost them the midterms. They lost their own midterms all on their own.
If you have not voted, please do so. If you have a mail-in ballot that you have not sent yet, do not put it in the mail at this point. There is not enough time. Take it to a drop box or hand it in at your county elections office. If you are planning to vote in person, see if your polls are open for early voting this weekend. Get it done before Tuesday if you can, because emergencies happen, and the last thing you want is to miss your chance.
After Tuesday, we get back to the other ways we have been resisting. We will pick back up on our economic protest. We will support more independent media and journalists and rededicate ourselves to spending with intention, refusing to put our money into the hands of companies and people who have enabled this regime, especially ahead of the holiday buying season. All of that matters, but right now, in this moment, with four days left, there is one thing that matters more than anything else, and that is making sure every single person who cares about the future of this country shows up and votes.
All signs are pointing to good election results for pro-democracy folks like us. There was even a feature by NPR this week about a Texas man named Chris Agan who said that he had never considered himself an impassioned midterm voter. Not in 2018 or in 2022. But this year, something changed. “This year is different,” he said. “This year, it feels like every opportunity to vote is a referendum against the party in power.”
There was also a story in The Guardian by David Van Reybrouck, a Belgian scholar and one of the most respected voices on democracy in Europe, that asked the question, “Is 2026 turning out to be the year democracy slowly, but surely, fought back?” He pointed to Hungary, where Viktor Orban was unseated in April, and Serbia, where students started the movement that eventually sent Aleksandar Vucic packing. He also included Brazil, where Lula, the son of poor, illiterate farmers and a former factory worker, defied almost every poll to win the presidency for the fourth time against a Bolsonaro who is now hiding on American soil.
Van Reybrouck described the leaders who were defeated as people who use democracy to gain power and then work to destroy it. He called them “post-democrats” who “treat laws and international agreements as mere suggestions” and who “use elections to gain power, only to hollow out democratic institutions once they are in office and maximize their private business profits.” He explained that “as corruption is key, they have to remain in power to stay out of jail.” Then he said the most important part. “Hungary, Serbia and Brazil have delivered a vital reminder: the rise of autocrats and their permanence in power are not immutable laws of nature.” These countries have all proven that even the most powerful authoritarian leaders can be defeated when people refuse to give up on democracy. Now it is our turn. The man who called campaigning for his own party “this crap” does not want to be out there anymore. In four days, we can grant him that wish and make sure he never has to do it again. That is why I still have hope for America. And you should, too.
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Heather
PS. You can make a significant difference right now by subscribing to my Substack. Your support helps me cover more ground and keep telling the truth about the lies and destruction unfolding in this country.
This commentary represents my personal opinions and analysis of matters of public concern, informed by publicly available information. Any references to individuals constitute opinion and commentary protected under the First Amendment.
Picture of the day: My oldest daughters are traveling again, so I’m back to being one of the favorite people in the house, aka a spare pack leader. That’s okay; I’m enjoying the company while I write!
Links to sources used in writing this article:
President Trump holds midterm rally in Daytona Beach: YouTube Video
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/2026-midterm-elections-campaigns-weekend-before/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-makes-major-campaign-change-after-humiliating-protests
https://www.ktvu.com/news/us-national-debt-bigger-than-economy-first-time-since-world-war-ii
https://fortune.com/2026/10/08/trump-changing-5000-dividend-21-voters-pay/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fbi-agents-seize-midterm-ballots-ms-now_n_6ae34e6be4b0bcffa26cf8c4
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/27/nx-s1-6017479/2026-midterms-npr-poll-democrats-trump-approval
Trump is getting more and more demented and the MAGA people can't see it. Talking about not sleeping with his sisters? Oh please.
On Facebook Trump was boasting about his uncle, Dr John Trump, had invented radar. Er no. Donald, he didn't. It was Dr Robert Watson Watt. Dr Trump was part of the team who perfected radar systems used in the D Day landings. A man who earned the respect of his peers, unlike his nephew.
Thank you, Heather, for staritng my early morning with your descriptions of countries that defied their criminal leaders. Praise and gratitude for Hungary, Serbia and Brazil. They remind us that "even the most powerful authoritarian leaders can be defeated when people refuse to give up on democracy." But our road should be easier going because our supposed leader is insane, cruel, and deteriorating as you write and I read. I mean, what more does Trump have to do or say to light a fire under Republicans and urge them to see who/what will be dragging them down with him in history books. Fortunately, Trump does not need any opponents to push him out of office. He is doing a magnificent job all by himself. What more carnival act do Republican lawmakers need to declare their leader unfit, ill, and dangerous? Democrats are bulky with will and determination. It appears that Republicans are hiding behind every bush they can find. No luck, psycophantic comrades. Trump is bulky enough to take all of you down with him.