Trump Takes the Stage in Dubuque on the Final Sunday, With Johnson Telling Iowa Voters the Polls Are Wrong

DUBUQUE, Iowa - President Donald Trump took the stage in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday afternoon, delivering a campaign address for Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson on the final Sunday before Election Day, USA TODAY's live midterm coverage reported. Hinson, a sitting congresswoman, faces Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Joni Ernst, in a contest USA TODAY described as closer than expected.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, traveling with the president, told the cheering Iowa crowd to ignore polls that show Republicans behind in the 2026 midterms. 'You can dismiss the polls,' Johnson said. 'The polls are wrong all around the country.' Johnson said he visited 45 congressional districts in 24 states during October. 'We're going to leave it all on the field,' he said.

Before the rally, Trump praised Michigan Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens for endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in that state's Senate race, calling the endorsement 'a big move' and Stevens 'brave,' and told reporters, 'Nobody expected that, but it's a smart thing to do.' Stevens had appeared with Rogers at a Detroit church service earlier Sunday after rescinding her backing of the Democratic nominee, in a defection that drew sharp criticism from Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats in the same live coverage.

The Dubuque stop is the first of two rallies on Trump's closing Sunday: he is due on stage in Salina, Kansas, at 7 p.m. CT in support of Sen. Roger Marshall and Kansas Republicans. A White House official said Sunday that the president will also deliver remarks at the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial on Monday, Nov. 2, hours before voters head to the polls for Tuesday's elections, which will decide control of Congress for the final two years of his term.