Voice For Liberty

Trump’s Final Week Before the Midterms: Seven Rallies, Seven Days, and a Fact Check

Bob Weeks

on

From a Michigan arena to a Florida beach town, the president’s closing argument leaned on a 3.4% growth number, a Venezuelan oil tanker, Ilhan Omar’s name and a very long list of numbers that don’t hold up.

Summary

Between October 25 and October 30, 2026, President Donald Trump held seven rallies in Michigan, Mississippi, Texas (twice), Ohio, South Carolina and Florida to push turnout for Republicans in the final stretch before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3. He had a real talking point: the government reported that the economy grew at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter, and he announced it from the stage. He also unveiled a rollback of Biden-era methane rules in Lubbock, welcomed a tanker of Venezuelan crude at the Port of Corpus Christi, and used the same stump script almost every night: Rep. Ilhan Omar supposedly “used a fake name,” Democratic Senate nominees were “communists,” and inflation was “1.7%.” Our fact check of 59 claims found 4 accurate, 25 misleading, 11 false and 19 that can’t be verified. The rallies also had unscripted moments, including a ten-minute Michigan appearance by the father of a 9/11 hero, Nicki Minaj on stage and a heckler Trump told to “shut up, dope.” Assistance from Claude AI.

Participants

Name Title / Role Where they spoke
Donald J. Trump President of the United States All seven rallies
David Beamer Father of Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer Michigan
Mike Rogers Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Michigan; former U.S. Representative Michigan
John James U.S. Representative; Republican nominee for Michigan governor Michigan
Nicki Minaj Recording artist and Trump supporter Michigan
Cindy Hyde-Smith U.S. Senator (R-Miss.), seeking reelection Corinth, Mississippi
Roger Wicker U.S. Senator (R-Miss.) Recognized from the stage, Corinth
Ken Paxton Texas Attorney General; Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Corpus Christi (speaker); Lubbock (introduced)
Alexis Nungaray Mother of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old murdered in Houston in 2024 Corpus Christi
Marco Rubio Secretary of State Corpus Christi
Paul Perez Introduced by Trump as head of Border Patrol (title to be confirmed; see Pre-Publication Notes) Lubbock
Jon Husted U.S. Senator (R-Ohio), seeking election Chillicothe, Ohio
Vivek Ramaswamy Republican nominee for Ohio governor Chillicothe
Darline Graham U.S. Senator (R-S.C.), sworn in July 2026 to finish her late brother Lindsey Graham’s term Rock Hill, South Carolina
Ashley Moody U.S. Senator (R-Fla.), seeking election Daytona Beach, Florida
Byron Donalds Republican nominee for Florida governor Daytona Beach
Todd Blanche Attorney General of the United States (per Trump’s introduction) Recognized from the stage, Daytona Beach

Recognized from the stage. Trump also singled out Sen. Ted Cruz and oilman Harold Hamm (Texas); Sen. Tim Scott (South Carolina); Sen. Bernie Moreno, Ohio Secretary of State nominee Robert Sprague and state treasurer nominee Jay Edwards (Ohio); Rep. Ronny Jackson (Texas); and North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley, whom he promoted at several stops.

Stops at a Glance

Date Place Main candidates promoted Transcript timestamps
Sun., Oct. 25 Michigan Mike Rogers (Senate), John James (governor) Precise
Mon., Oct. 26 Corinth, Miss. Cindy Hyde-Smith (Senate) Precise
Tue., Oct. 27 Corpus Christi, Texas Ken Paxton (Senate) Precise
Tue., Oct. 27 Lubbock, Texas Ken Paxton (Senate) None in source
Wed., Oct. 28 Chillicothe, Ohio Jon Husted (Senate), Vivek Ramaswamy (governor) Approximate
Thu., Oct. 29 Rock Hill, S.C. Darline Graham (Senate) Approximate
Fri., Oct. 30 Daytona Beach, Fla. Ashley Moody (Senate), Byron Donalds (governor) Approximate

How to read our verdicts

  • ✅ Accurate: supported by the record.
  • ⚠️ Misleading: partly true, exaggerated, or missing key context.
  • ❌ False: contradicted by the record.
  • ℹ️ Unverifiable: no public evidence either way, or an opinion presented as fact.

Timestamps appear in parentheses, such as (Michigan, 56:04). Michigan, Corinth and Corpus Christi times are exact. Ohio, South Carolina and Florida times are approximate. The Lubbock transcript has no usable timestamps, so those passages are cited without them. Many of Trump’s claims repeat from his October 20–23 rallies; where a claim is identical we reuse that verdict and say so.

1. The Turnout Pitch: “I’m Not on the Ballot, But I Am”

What Trump said

At nearly every stop Trump gave the same message: midterm voters tend to stay home when he isn’t on the ticket, so they should vote as if he were. “Essentially we are all on the ballot because they’ll take away everything,” he told the Michigan crowd (Michigan, 29:44). In Corinth he said, “In a certain way, I am on the ballot because all of these things, all of these tax cuts… are going to be put back immediately into play” (Corinth, 9:10). In Chillicothe he added that early voting was underway and that “it might be just as important” as the candidates’ own races (Chillicothe, ~15:51).

He also floated the idea of a “cheating” vote count. In Michigan he told supporters to “be careful with the cheating vote counters… especially with Benson,” meaning Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, the Democratic nominee for governor (Michigan, 1:31). In Corpus Christi he said “we won’t include the Senate one because they rigged it” when counting his election victories (Corpus Christi, 16:20), and in Ohio he repeated that 2020 “was a rigged election” (Chillicothe, ~17:52).

Context for general readers

The president’s party usually loses seats in the first midterm of a term, and turnout is the main reason. These rallies are partly an effort to make a midterm feel like a presidential race. The “rigged” claims about 2020 have been rejected by courts, state election officials and Trump’s own Justice Department in 2020; the claims about Michigan’s current vote count were not accompanied by any evidence.

Fact check

  • ℹ️ “Cheating vote counters… Benson.” No evidence was offered of current vote-counting problems in Michigan.
  • ℹ️ “Rigged” Senate or 2020 results. Not supported by any court or election-official finding.
  • ℹ️ Crowd size. Trump said 20,000 people were outside the Michigan venue trying to get in (Michigan, 0:03) and said his opponent’s crowd the day before was “sparse.” Independent counts weren’t available.

2. The Economy: A Real Number, Surrounded by Shaky Ones

What Trump said

In Rock Hill, Trump told the crowd, “in breaking news this morning… the US economy is booming at 3.4 percent, which is a historic economic level” (Rock Hill, ~6:38). In Chillicothe he said, “Just yesterday it was announced that consumer confidence is up 7.5%” (Chillicothe, ~1:02:54). Across the week he also said:

  • Inflation has been “1.7 percent” for “the last three months” (Michigan, 56:24; Corinth, 24:36; Corpus Christi, 30:22).
  • Americans’ 401(k) accounts are “60 percent,” “64 percent,” “65 to 70 percent” or “77 percent” higher (Michigan, 1:12:32; Corinth, 39:28; Lubbock; Chillicothe, ~57:56).
  • His administration has “secured commitments for $22.2 trillion of new investment” (Michigan, 59:12; Corinth, 23:47; Corpus Christi, 24:04; Chillicothe, ~53:44).
  • Tariffs are producing “more factories and plants being built than at any time in history” and “your drug prices [are] down 50%, 60%, 70%” (Lubbock).
  • The stock market has hit “88 all-time record highs” (Chillicothe, ~57:56).

Context for general readers

GDP (gross domestic product) is the total value of goods and services the country produces. The advance estimate is the first of three readings the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes for each quarter, and it is usually revised. Consumer confidence is a monthly survey index from the Conference Board. CPI is the Consumer Price Index, the standard measure of inflation.

Fact check

  • ✅ “The US economy is booming at 3.4 percent.” The Bureau of Economic Analysis released its advance estimate on October 29 showing real GDP grew at a 3.4% annual rate in the third quarter, up from 2.2% in the second. Investment, consumer spending and government spending drove the gain, while exports fell. “Historic” is a stretch for a number that is the first of three estimates, but the figure itself is right.
  • ⚠️ “Consumer confidence is up 7.5%.” The Conference Board index rose 7.5 points, from 84.2 to 91.7, reported October 27. In percentage terms that is closer to 9%. The more telling detail: the forward-looking Expectations Index was 72.6, still below the 80 level the Conference Board treats as a recession warning.
  • ❌ Inflation is “1.7 percent.” This is the same claim we rated false in the October 20–23 roundup. The Consumer Price Index showed 3.7% annual inflation in September.
  • ❌ 401(k)s “60 to 77 percent higher.” We rated this false in the earlier roundup. PolitiFact found an average gain of roughly 6.5% at Fidelity, not 60-plus percent.
  • ❌ “$22.2 trillion of investment.” Same ruling as before: the White House’s own published list of commitments adds up to roughly $9.6 trillion, and these are announced pledges, not money spent.
  • ⚠️ Drug prices “down 50%, 60%, 70%.” Some drugs covered by manufacturer agreements have seen large price cuts. We could not find evidence of across-the-board drops of that size. In Corpus Christi he also said “now we have the lowest drug prices anywhere in the world” (Corpus Christi, 49:24), a claim we rated false in the earlier roundup.
  • ⚠️ “The poverty rate has just reached its best and lowest level in American history,” with record lows for Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American poverty (Corpus Christi, 50:11). In the earlier roundup we found the overall record plausible: the official poverty rate is 10.2%, and median household income is $87,460. We could not confirm that every group is at a record low.

3. Gas, Iran, the Strait of Hormuz and the Venezuelan Tanker

What Trump said

Rising gas prices have been a political weak spot since the start of the war with Iran. Trump addressed it almost every night.

  • He said gas was “$1.85” “just before I made that decision” and that prices were a “small price to pay for taking a nuclear weapon away from maniacs” (Michigan, 1:01:52 to 1:02:42; Corpus Christi, 10:03 to 10:49).
  • He said “we’re taking more oil out of the Hormuz Strait now than we did before” and credited the Wall Street Journal (Michigan, 1:02:15; Corinth, 35:19).
  • He said, “We have the greatest blockade, probably in naval history. Not one Iranian ship has gotten through in many, many months, other than when we did a little cease-fire” (Corinth, 35:36).
  • He gave varying counts of Iran’s destroyed military: “268 great jet fighters” (Corinth, 34:25), “288 jet fighters” destroyed (Corpus Christi, 11:42) and “159” ships “at the bottom of the sea” with “268 airplanes” scattered on runways (Chillicothe, ~26:26).
  • On whether the war was ending, he told Lubbock: “Somebody asked me before, when will the war in Iran end? I said, ‘Whenever I want it to end.’”
  • He said prices would “come plummeting down” soon (Corpus Christi, 4:51 and 27:53).

The oil tanker. In Corpus Christi, Trump stood at the port and said a ship offshore carried “one million barrels of oil” from Venezuela, a result of “our big victory in our recent war with Venezuela” (Corpus Christi, 1:55 to 2:27). He said, “No, let’s make it, Harold, the 51st state. Do you like that?” (Corpus Christi, 4:17). In Lubbock he described it as “a gift from Venezuela — that we’re giving to Texas, by the way. I’d like to keep it” (Lubbock). He said the Port of Corpus Christi “just had its nine busiest months in history” (Corpus Christi, 8:51).

Context for general readers

The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil normally moves. After the war began, a U.S. Navy blockade targeted Iranian exports. In January the U.S. captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro; since then Washington has set up a marketing program for Venezuelan crude, with trading firms such as Trafigura handling cargoes.

Fact check

  • ❌ Gas was “$1.85.” The AAA national average hasn’t been near $1.85 since the pandemic lows of 2020. As of October 31, AAA reported $4.18 a gallon, down from about $4.41 on October 1 and $4.27 a week earlier. Prices are falling, but they are well above any number Trump cited. We reached the same conclusion on the related claim in the earlier roundup.
  • ⚠️ “More oil out of Hormuz than before the war.” Data from the analytics firm Kpler, reported in early October, showed crude flows through the strait at about 13.5 million barrels a day, matching the prewar baseline. But refined products remained far below normal, about 677,000 barrels a day against 3.6 million before the war, so combined flows were around 80% of the prewar level. We did not locate the specific Wall Street Journal article Trump cited, so we can’t confirm what it said.
  • ℹ️ “Not one Iranian ship has gotten through.” Reports describe Iranian oil exports as having “cratered” under the blockade, but an absolute claim that no vessel passed in months can’t be confirmed from public data.
  • ℹ️ Iran’s military losses. Trump gave different totals at different stops (268 jets, 288 jets, 159 ships). We found no public tally matching any of them.
  • ⚠️ The tanker as a “gift.” The cargo was carried on a tanker operated by Trafigura, one of the firms picked to lead the U.S. marketing program, per Maritime Executive. The trade press doesn’t say who owns the cargo or who paid for it. Trump’s claim that it comes “at zero cost to the American taxpayer” is unverified. The separate August arrangement with Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, per a contract obtained by ProPublica, lets the U.S. buy up to a fifth of the partnership’s output at $30 a barrel, which is a purchase, not a gift.
  • ⚠️ “Won the war in Venezuela in one day.” The Maduro operation in January is real, but “war” and “victory” describe an operation whose full terms and costs haven’t been made public.

4. The Methane Announcement and Other Energy News

What Trump said

In Lubbock he said: “Tonight I’m officially terminating Biden’s expensive and unnecessary methane regulations to save consumers and energy producers $45 billion in costs, unlock vast quantities of Texas natural gas — and produce 210 million barrels of oil” (Lubbock). He also said “we just announced two massive natural gas power plants of $14 billion and $22 billion” in Texas (Lubbock). In Ohio he cited a “$33 billion” SoftBank natural gas plant in Pike County and a $2.2 billion Bayer investment in New Albany (Chillicothe, ~56:52). He also announced that the Navy’s “Future Component Repair Center,” a facility for submarine maintenance, would be in Ohio, crediting Husted (Chillicothe, ~1:04:18).

Context for general readers

Methane is the main ingredient of natural gas and a powerful greenhouse gas. Rules adopted under the Biden administration required oil and gas companies to find and fix leaks. Rolling back a federal regulation normally requires a formal rulemaking process, including a notice in the Federal Register.

Fact check

  • ⚠️ “Officially terminating” methane rules. Reporting on the announcement says only that Trump declared it at the rally. It doesn’t describe a formal repeal, a Federal Register notice or a timeline. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said last month the agency would end its “Super Emitter Program” and loosen rules for smaller wells. Environmental groups, including the Environmental Defense Fund, oppose the move. Until a formal rule is published, the rules remain on the books.
  • ℹ️ “$45 billion” and “210 million barrels.” These are Trump’s figures. Reports on the announcement don’t explain how they were calculated.
  • ℹ️ Power plant and investment figures ($14B, $22B, $33B, $2.2B). We couldn’t independently confirm these during our research window.

5. Border, Crime and the “Zero” Claims

What Trump said

This section is the most repetitive part of the speeches. Across rallies he said:

  • “In the past 17 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted into the United States” (Michigan, 56:04; Corinth, 14:48; Lubbock).
  • Under Biden, “25 million people” came across the border (Corinth, 12:03; Corpus Christi, 28:43; Daytona, ~17:55).
  • “We’ve had… 11,888 murderers” brought into the country (Lubbock).
  • The murder rate is at its “lowest level in 125 years, the year 1900” (Michigan, 56:24; Corinth, 15:11).
  • Crime is “down 82 percent in Memphis, 81 percent in New Orleans” after National Guard deployments, with “13,000 dangerous career criminals” arrested in Memphis and “5,000 career criminals” removed from Washington, D.C. (Corinth, 16:35 to 19:21).
  • In Springfield, Ohio, “they decided to put 35,000 Haitians in… it had 32,000 people… the Haitians have moved out now” (Chillicothe, ~28:35 to 29:06).
  • He repeated that Roy Cooper, the former North Carolina governor now running for Senate, “allowed 88 murderers out of prison because of COVID” and “25 of them immediately committed murder” (Michigan, 57:01; Corinth, 5:09; Rock Hill, ~3:20). He compared it to Willie Horton, saying Horton “raped and killed almost immediately three people — three women” (Corinth, 6:06). He also tied it to the killing of a young woman on a Charlotte train, saying the attacker “cut the beautiful young girl’s head” (Rock Hill, ~5:24).

Context for general readers

Willie Horton was a Massachusetts inmate released on a weekend furlough in 1986 who committed violent crimes while free. His case was used against Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential race. The Charlotte light-rail killing in 2025 involved DeCarlos Brown Jr., who had a prior record and was later charged. The NCVS (National Crime Victimization Survey) is a Justice Department survey that estimates crime, including offenses never reported to police.

Fact check

  • ⚠️ “Zero illegal aliens admitted.” Same ruling as last time: border crossings are sharply down, and releases of border-crossers into the country have all but stopped, but “zero” is not the same as zero crossings or zero arrivals.
  • ❌ “25 million” crossed under Biden. We rated this false before. Border Patrol encounters under Biden ran at roughly 2 to 2.5 million a year, and an encounter is not the same as a person who stayed.
  • ⚠️ “11,888 murderers.” Same as the earlier ruling: the number appears to come from a list of noncitizens with homicide convictions who are in the country, built up over many years. That is not the same as people let in recently.
  • ⚠️ “Murder rate lowest in 125 years.” Murder has fallen sharply, but national homicide records from 1900 are incomplete, so a claim anchored to that year can’t be cleanly checked. We rated it misleading in the earlier roundup.
  • ⚠️ “Largest drop in violent crime ever recorded.” The Justice Department’s preliminary NCVS release on October 26 reported that non-fatal violent crime fell 25% in 2025 from 2024, aggravated assault fell 31%, and motor-vehicle theft fell 30%. That is a large, real decline. The survey doesn’t measure murder, and we found no ranking that makes it the largest ever.
  • ⚠️ Memphis “82%,” New Orleans “81%.” We couldn’t confirm these. An earlier version of the same claim (71% for Memphis, 75% for New Orleans, 81% for D.C.) was examined by Media Bias/Fact Check, which found the figures hard to square with underlying data.
  • ❌ Cooper “allowed 88 murderers out” and “25 murdered.” We rated this false in the earlier roundup, and nothing in this week’s speeches adds support.
  • ❌ Willie Horton “raped and killed three women.” Horton was already serving time for a 1974 murder. While on furlough he raped a woman and assaulted her fiancé. He did not rape and kill three women after his release.
  • ⚠️ The Charlotte train attacker. The victim was stabbed in the neck. Reports don’t describe a beheading. As in the earlier roundup, the link Trump draws between Cooper and the attacker’s release is not supported.
  • ❌ Springfield, Ohio numbers. Springfield’s population is about 58,000, not 32,000. Local and state estimates of the Haitian population there ran in the range of 12,000 to 20,000, not 35,000. Whether they “moved out” is ℹ️ unverified.

6. Michigan: El-Sayed, Flight 93 and the Beamer Speech

What Trump said

Trump’s Michigan rally was built around Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, whom he repeatedly called “Abdul.” He said El-Sayed’s “mother worked for an organization that gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda,” that he “also wants our country to go to Shariah law,” and that he campaigns with “communist agitator Hasan Piker” (Michigan, 8:17 to 10:05). He played a video of El-Sayed being asked whether Israel or Iran was the greater threat (Michigan, 10:34 to 12:44). He then introduced David Beamer, whose son Todd Beamer was a passenger on United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. “Twenty-five years later,” Trump said, “Michigan needs to stand up and fight just like Todd did to stop a jihadist from walking into the Capitol” (Michigan, 13:41).

Context for general readers

Flight 93 was the hijacked plane on 9/11 that crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Todd Beamer’s last words on a phone line, “Let’s roll,” became a national rallying cry. This was the 25th anniversary year. Hasan Piker is a left-wing streamer. El-Sayed is a physician and former Detroit health director.

What the speakers said

David Beamer spoke for about ten minutes (Michigan, 15:05 to 25:00). He thanked supporters who had prayed for his family and reminded the crowd that “almost 100 million Americans weren’t born yet” on 9/11. He also said Todd was born in Flint, Michigan, on November 24, 1968. Near the end, Trump noted it was “appropriate” for Todd’s father and the crowd to quote him, and they said “Let’s roll” on a three-count (Michigan, 24:27).

Mike Rogers spoke briefly. He said the Chevy Silverado, now built in Mexico, would return to Michigan next year; that Detroit Diesel added a third shift for the first time in 20 years; and that “the president just this week announced he’s gonna tariff those trash trucks” from Canada (Michigan, 1:28:51 to 1:30:06).

John James said Michigan has been Democratic-led for eight years and ranks “42nd in infrastructure… 43rd in economy… 45th in education” and “46th overall,” and called Benson “corrupt” (Michigan, 1:33:41).

Nicki Minaj led a call-and-response (“We love Trump”), said Trump “represents resilience,” and said “we don’t want our children to be bombarded with sex changes.” She added, “If you run again, I will support you again” (Michigan, 1:39:25 to 1:41:43).

Fact check

  • ✅ Todd Beamer was born in Flint, Michigan, and his last words were “Let’s roll.” Both are well documented.
  • ℹ️ El-Sayed’s mother and bin Laden. Rogers made similar accusations in a debate, per Jewish Insider, but the report offered no independent confirmation, and El-Sayed denies any ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or terrorist groups. He said Rogers was targeting his name and his faith. The “hundreds of thousands of dollars to Osama bin Laden” detail wasn’t in that reporting.
  • ℹ️ “Wants Shariah law.” We found no statement by El-Sayed supporting this, and he has denied extremist ties. Treat it as an unsupported characterization.
  • ℹ️ The Canadian “trash truck” tariff. Both Rogers and Trump referred to it, but we could not find an announcement to confirm it.
  • ℹ️ Iran’s regime having killed “75,000 protesters” in nine months (Michigan, 8:17). We found no public tally near this figure.
  • ℹ️ James’s state rankings. We did not check them against a ranking source.

7. Mississippi: “A Soros District Attorney” and the Corinth Crowd

What Trump said

In Corinth, Trump said he was there “to stop a Marxist radical left Soros district attorney from being elected to the United States Senate.” He said Scott Colom, the Democratic nominee and district attorney, “became the district attorney with nearly $1 million directly from G[eorge Soros]” and “released one out of every three criminals arrested in his district without charges” (Corinth, 1:28 to 2:05). Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also spoke briefly, asking the crowd, “Is this not the best president in our lifetime?” (Corinth, 1:16:53). The rally ended with a video clip (Corinth, 1:19:38 to 1:21:11); the transcript doesn’t say what it showed.

Context for general readers

Colom is the elected district attorney for Mississippi’s 16th Judicial District, first elected in 2015 and reelected in 2019 and 2023. He won the Democratic primary on March 10. Hyde-Smith previously cited Soros-linked money when she blocked his 2023 nomination to a federal judgeship.

Fact check

  • ⚠️ “Nearly $1 million directly from Soros.” Hyde-Smith has cited a PAC funded by George Soros as a reason for opposing Colom’s judicial nomination. Colom says he did not request the money, didn’t know it would be given and received none from that PAC for his 2019 reelection. We found no verified dollar figure supporting “nearly $1 million directly.”
  • ℹ️ “One of every three criminals arrested… released without charges.” We could not locate data to confirm this.

8. Texas: Paxton, Talarico and Jocelyn Nungaray

What Trump said

In Corpus Christi and Lubbock, Trump backed Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who won the Republican Senate nomination, and attacked Democratic nominee James Talarico with a mocking nickname. He said Talarico “will kill millions of Texas jobs” and is an “anti-gun extremist” with an F rating from the NRA, and he played a video of Talarico talking about faith, gender and the border (Corpus Christi, 13:19 to 24:04). A separate Lubbock clip showed Talarico saying “our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign.” In Daytona, Trump riffed on an unnamed candidate who he said was “a vegan” who had been “forced to eat meat” after “food poisoning,” saying “he was campaigning on veganism” (Daytona, ~3:14). Context points to Talarico.

Alexis Nungaray thanked Trump for “keeping my daughter, Jocelyn Nungaray’s, name alive.” Her 12-year-old daughter was kidnapped and killed in Houston in June 2024. She said she can say little because the case is still open and blamed “the border policies we had due to the last previous administration” (Corpus Christi, 36:05 to 38:33). Trump said he had promised “to deliver justice for Jocelyn” and cited arrests of “thousands and thousands” of Tren de Aragua gang members (Lubbock). Marco Rubio gave a 15-second tribute to Trump, saying it was “an honor to work for the greatest president in the history” (Corpus Christi, 1:05:45). Ken Paxton thanked Trump and urged supporters to bring “your friends… your family” to vote (Corpus Christi, 1:02:41). In Lubbock, Paul Perez said, “for 29 years, under five presidents,” he has served and that “the border is secure.”

Context for general readers

Talarico is a Texas state representative and seminarian. Paxton has faced a long-running securities fraud case and was impeached by the Texas House in 2023, then acquitted by the state Senate. Trump said “everything he did was for Texas” (Corpus Christi, 13:19).

Fact check

  • ❌ Talarico is “a vegan.” PolitiFact rated Paxton’s identical claim False in May 2026. Talarico’s campaign said he “is not and never has been a vegan or vegetarian,” and recent photos show him eating tacos with eggs, chicken, steak and a turkey leg. The real kernel: in a 2022 speech he called reducing meat consumption “the moral thing to do” and said his state House race had become a “non-meat campaign.” He never said he was vegan.

9. Ohio: Husted, Ramaswamy and Sherrod Brown

What Trump said

In Chillicothe, Trump praised Jon Husted and Vivek Ramaswamy and attacked former Sen. Sherrod Brown, the Democrat trying to win back his old seat. He said Brown is “down in the polls” and “totally opposed to voter ID,” and that “Ohio lost more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs” under him (Chillicothe, ~16:46 to 19:41). He urged a yes vote on Issue 3, a ballot measure to require photo voter ID (Chillicothe, ~15:51). He also told a story about Husted’s football career, saying Husted had been described to him as “an All-American” who would “rip their heads off” (Chillicothe, ~1:44 to 2:21).

Context for general readers

Husted was appointed to the Senate in early 2025 to fill the seat Vice President JD Vance vacated. Brown lost his seat to Bernie Moreno in 2024 and is trying to return. Ramaswamy is a businessman running for governor against Democrat Amy Acton.

Fact check

  • ⚠️ Brown is “down in the polls.” The most recent poll we found, a Marist survey of likely voters on October 15–18, had Brown 48%, Husted 44% (margin of error ±4.5). It also had Acton 50%, Ramaswamy 43%. Other polls have varied, and Trump’s description doesn’t match this one.
  • ℹ️ Issue 3 wording and Brown’s stance. We did not independently verify the ballot language or Brown’s quoted remarks.

10. South Carolina: Darline Graham and “Annie Andrews”

What Trump said

In Rock Hill, Trump asked voters to “elect Darline Graham to the United States Senate” and said her brother, “the late, great Lindsey Graham passed away unexpectedly,” that he asked her to run and that “your brother’s looking down” (Rock Hill, ~0:38 and ~10:51). He attacked Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews with a slur aimed at transgender people, which we’re not reproducing, and said she is “a vicious, anti-gun radical” with an NRA “F” rating (Rock Hill, ~19:16 to 22:20). He spent several minutes on the North Carolina Senate race (Rock Hill, ~1:46 to 5:49).

Context for general readers

Lindsey Graham died earlier this year. His sister Darline Graham was appointed to the seat and sworn in on July 14, 2026.

Fact check

  • ✅ Darline Graham’s appointment. Her swearing-in to finish her brother’s term was widely reported.
  • ℹ️ Andrews’s gun stance and rating. We did not independently confirm her NRA rating or the quote about “the most popular firearms.”

11. Florida: Moody, Donalds and the Alaska “Fake Sullivan”

What Trump said

In Daytona Beach, Trump asked voters to re-elect Sen. Ashley Moody and elect Byron Donalds governor, attacked Democrat David Jolly as a candidate who wanted “to open the borders” and called him “low IQ” (Daytona, ~20:44 to 24:08). He also said, “in breaking news, two days ago, it was just determined that the Democrats in Alaska… put a man named Dan Sullivan on the ballot in order to confuse the public and in order to run against a man named Dan Sullivan.” He said “this is voter fraud at the highest level” and that Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate, “abused her staff so much that her chief of staff went out and ratted on her.” He added that “they found out he tried to change the J to an S,” that the Democrat “should be removed from the ballot and prosecuted,” and that “the fake Dan Sullivan, he should be prosecuted.” He told Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was in the room, “make your own decision” (Daytona, ~24:29 to 27:11). He then returned to Ilhan Omar (see Section 12).

Context for general readers

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is seeking reelection in Alaska. A second candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher, appeared on the ballot and drew attention because the name could split votes.

Fact check

  • ⚠️ “Voter fraud at the highest level.” The New York Times reported, per AP, that text messages showed Peltola campaign members discussing recruiting people named Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign said it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” and the second Sullivan has denied any contact with it. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Dan J. Sullivan qualified to run after a state official had ruled him ineligible. We found no prosecution, and the Justice Department’s lawsuit to halt certification of a possible Peltola win was filed at Trump’s direction, with no ruling reported.
  • ⚠️ “Her chief of staff turned her in.” The report was based partly on interviews with a former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, who was fired in August, not a chief of staff, per AP.
  • ℹ️ “Tried to change the J to an S.” Reports we reviewed describe the candidate as “Dan J. Sullivan” or “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” and say nothing about changing a middle initial.

12. Ilhan Omar, Paid Protesters and the Rest of the Greatest Hits

What Trump said

At all seven rallies, Trump read some version of the same “breaking news.” Corinth’s version: “Ilhan Omar… her name is not Ilhan Omar, the one she used to get elected and sworn into Congress, but rather it’s an entirely different name” (Corinth, 9:50 to 11:12). He said she “must immediately resign,” told the crowd to “please inform the speaker of the House” and said “the Democrat Party has just conceded her seat” (Corinth, 11:12; Lubbock). In Ohio he added that people are told, “if they ask you a certain question, just say not to my knowledge. That way you don’t get in trouble” (Chillicothe, ~49:43).

Protesters. Trump pointed to hecklers at several rallies and said: “We have a paid protester” (Michigan, 1:57); “They gave him $250. Paid protesters” (Chillicothe, 5:12); “They’re all trained, paid” (Rock Hill, ~12:13); and “they’re paid by Soros, and he’s a cheap guy, $250 bucks” (Daytona, ~17:55). In Daytona he shouted at an interrupter, “Shut up! Shut up, dope. Shut up, loser!” and “Get him out of here!” (Daytona, ~18:54). In Chillicothe he answered a heckler who mentioned Epstein by saying “I threw Jeffrey Epstein out of a club like 20 years ago” and that he had been “totally exonerated” (Chillicothe, ~5:26 to 6:37).

Context for general readers

Court filings reported this week list Ilhan Nur Said Elmi as another name for Rep. Ilhan Omar. The filings reportedly revive a long-running, unproven allegation about her marital history. She has denied wrongdoing. Chris Hayes asked her on MS NOW whether she was related to a former husband, and she answered “Not to my knowledge,” which Trump seized on. Members of Congress cannot be removed by the president or by the speaker alone; the House can expel a member by a two-thirds vote.

Fact check

  • ⚠️ “Her name is not Ilhan Omar.” The filings do show another name, and the existence of an additional name does not by itself prove immigration fraud. No charges have been announced. The reporting does not support Trump’s statement that she was “sworn in” under a false name.
  • ❌ “The Democrat Party has just conceded her seat.” No Democratic official has conceded anything, per the reporting we reviewed.
  • ℹ️ Paid protesters at $250. Trump said “we have it traced” (Chillicothe) but offered no evidence. We could not find any documentation of payments.
  • ✅ Omar’s “not to my knowledge” answer. It happened, in the MS NOW interview, though the context involved questions about a former husband.

13. Greenland, Nobel Prizes, “Eight Wars” and Other Claims

What Trump said

  • Greenland. “Oh, and you know, we did get Greenland… We own Greenland. We work it with Denmark. We signed a very good agreement… about two weeks ago” (Michigan, 35:12 to 35:37). He added that he prefers Denmark and “Sweden, Norway, I don’t think so because I didn’t get the Nobel Prize” (Michigan, 36:46).
  • Nobel and wars. “I settled eight wars and I got two more coming.” He said Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado “gave me her Nobel Peace Prize,” and that Pakistan’s prime minister said “President Trump has saved at least 30 million lives” (Michigan, 37:06 to 38:56).
  • Estate tax. “You have no estate tax or death tax to pay” (Michigan, 31:16; Corinth, 9:32; Lubbock).
  • Social Security. “No tax on Social Security for our great seniors” (Michigan, 15:22; Corinth, 9:10).
  • Cognitive tests. “I’m the only president to pass without exception… I passed three cognitive tests” (Chillicothe, ~45:05). He walked through a sample question: “They have a lion, a bear, a snake, and a camel. They say which one is the snake” (Chillicothe, ~45:34).
  • Iran deal. Obama gave Iran “$1.7 billion in cash, in green cash… They loaded up a Boeing 757” (Lubbock).
  • Audi. The “chairman of Audi” announced a new plant in Macon, Georgia the night before (Michigan, 1:03:37).
  • White House renovation. He described fixing “a big hole in the wall” at the entrance and said the exterior plaster looked better “than it was in 1792,” then took a swipe at Obama over asphalt (Chillicothe, ~22:11 to 24:18).

Context for general readers

The Nobel committee says a prize cannot be transferred to someone else, though a laureate can give a medal to another person. The “eight wars” figure is Trump’s own count of conflicts he says he ended. The Greenland dispute began when Trump pressed to acquire the island and threatened tariffs on European countries that opposed him. A “framework” was announced in January, and a binding security agreement among the U.S., Denmark and Greenland was announced in mid-September and signed around September 22.

Fact check

  • ❌ “We own Greenland.” Greenland remains a self-governing territory of Denmark. The September agreement expands the U.S. military presence; it does not transfer ownership or sovereignty. Denmark and Greenland have said it is not for sale.
  • ⚠️ “Signed about two weeks ago.” The agreement was announced September 18–19 and signed about September 22, roughly five weeks before the Michigan rally.
  • ⚠️ “Eight wars.” We rated this misleading in the earlier roundup: several of the conflicts were not active wars, and attribution of the endings is disputed.
  • ⚠️ Machado “gave me her Nobel Peace Prize.” She reportedly presented him with a medal. The Nobel Institute has said a prize itself cannot be transferred.
  • ℹ️ “Saved at least 30 million lives.” Attributed to Pakistan’s prime minister; we couldn’t verify the quote.
  • ⚠️ “No estate tax.” We rated this misleading before: the exemption is $15 million per person, not zero, and estates above that are still taxed.
  • ⚠️ “No tax on Social Security.” As before, the law adds a larger deduction for seniors; Social Security benefits are not tax-free for everyone.
  • ⚠️ “Passed three cognitive tests… only president.” He has said he took the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and the lion-and-camel question is the type of item that test includes. “Only president” and “without exception” are unverified, and no public score documents were available to us.
  • ⚠️ $1.7 billion to Iran. The payment settled a decades-old Iranian claim over an arms deal and was delivered in cash because of sanctions. The “Boeing 757” detail is unconfirmed.
  • ℹ️ Audi plant in Macon. We could not confirm this announcement.

Notable Moments

  1. A 9/11 father at a campaign rally. David Beamer’s remarks in Michigan were the emotional high point of the week, and also a pointed turn: Trump connected Flight 93 directly to El-Sayed’s Senate bid.
  2. Nicki Minaj on the stage. The rapper led the Michigan crowd in a chant and said, “If you run again, I will support you again.”
  3. “The 51st state.” In Corpus Christi, Trump suggested to oilman Harold Hamm that Venezuela become one.
  4. “Shut up, dope.” A heckler in Daytona drew a loud command from the president and a call to remove him.
  5. The Epstein heckle. In Chillicothe, a protester’s mention of Jeffrey Epstein led Trump to say he threw Epstein out of a club “like 20 years ago.”
  6. Three different Iranian jet counts. He said 268 in Corinth, 288 in Corpus Christi and a mix of 159 ships and 268 aircraft in Chillicothe.
  7. A vegan joke. In Daytona, Trump said the first lady corrected his pronunciation: “it’s vegan, not vaygan.”
  8. Miss Universe. In Chillicothe, a woman in a crown prompted a riff on Trump’s former ownership of the pageant.
  9. The ask for a prosecution. In Daytona, Trump said a Democratic Senate candidate and the second Dan Sullivan should be “prosecuted” and then turned to the attorney general in the audience.
  10. Roger Wicker gets a nod. In Corinth, Trump pointed out the state’s other senator: “It’s not your turn. I’ll be here for you, too.”

Fact-Check Scorecard

We checked 59 distinct claims across the seven rallies.

Verdict Count Examples
✅ Accurate 4 Q3 GDP grew 3.4%; Todd Beamer’s Flint birthplace and “Let’s roll”; Darline Graham’s appointment; Omar’s “not to my knowledge” answer
⚠️ Misleading 25 Consumer confidence “up 7.5%”; “zero admitted”; Hormuz oil flows; “eight wars”; Omar’s “fake name”; Alaska “voter fraud”
❌ False 11 Inflation at 1.7%; 401(k)s up 60–77%; $22.2 trillion; “$1.85” gas; “We own Greenland”; Talarico is “a vegan”
ℹ️ Unverifiable 19 Paid protesters; “75,000 protesters” killed in Iran; the Canadian trash-truck tariff; Audi plant in Macon

The accurate items are few and tend to be single data points. The false items are concentrated in recycled statistics, most of which we had already rated in the October 20–23 roundup.

Pre-Publication Notes

  • Timestamps. Michigan, Corinth and Corpus Christi are exact. Chillicothe, Rock Hill and Daytona Beach are approximate because of how the source reproduces them. Lubbock has no usable timestamps, so those quotes carry none. Verify any timestamp you plan to quote against the Roll Call/Factbase original.
  • Michigan location. The transcript identifies the state but not the city. Add the city if you know it.
  • Paul Perez’s title. Trump introduced him as “the head of Border Patrol.” Perez’s own remarks mention 29 years of service. Confirm his current official title before publication; the table reflects Trump’s introduction, not an independent check.
  • Todd Blanche. Listed as Attorney General because Trump introduced him that way in Daytona.
  • Timing-sensitive figures. Gas prices ($4.18 on October 31) change daily, and the 3.4% GDP number is an advance estimate subject to revision. Several stories in this roundup (Alaska, Omar, methane) were still developing when we checked.
  • Language. Trump used a slur against transgender people about the South Carolina Democratic nominee, and other insulting nicknames for opponents. We describe rather than reproduce them.
  • Repeat claims. Verdicts on inflation, 401(k)s, $22.2 trillion, “zero admitted,” 25 million, the 88 prisoners, estate tax, Social Security and “eight wars” carry over from the October 20–23 roundup. If any earlier verdict is later corrected, update this post to match.
  • Sources we could not open. We did not retrieve the Wall Street Journal piece Trump cited on Hormuz, the New York Times Alaska story itself (we relied on follow-up coverage) or any original Justice Department data file.
  • Unchecked items. We did not verify Ohio’s Issue 3 text, Annie Andrews’s NRA rating, John James’s state rankings, the power-plant and investment dollar amounts, or the Navy repair-center announcement.

Works Cited (MLA)

“Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Midterm Political Rally in Michigan – October 25, 2026.” Factbase, FiscalNote/Roll Call, 25 Oct. 2026. Transcript.

“Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Midterm Political Rally in Corinth, Mississippi – October 26, 2026.” Factbase, FiscalNote/Roll Call, 26 Oct. 2026. Transcript.

“Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Midterm Political Rally in Corpus Christi, Texas – October 27, 2026.” Factbase, FiscalNote/Roll Call, 27 Oct. 2026. Transcript.

“Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Midterm Political Rally in Lubbock, Texas – October 27, 2026.” Factbase, FiscalNote/Roll Call, 27 Oct. 2026. Transcript.

“Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Midterm Political Rally in Chillicothe, Ohio – October 28, 2026.” Factbase, FiscalNote/Roll Call, 28 Oct. 2026. Transcript.

“Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Midterm Political Rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina – October 29, 2026.” Factbase, FiscalNote/Roll Call, 29 Oct. 2026. Transcript.

“Speech: Donald Trump Holds a Midterm Political Rally in Daytona Beach, Florida – October 30, 2026.” Factbase, FiscalNote/Roll Call, 30 Oct. 2026. Transcript.

Sources (APA)

  1. AAA. (2026, October 31). Gas prices: National average. https://gasprices.aaa.com/2026/10/
  2. Al Jazeera. (2026, January 22). Trump’s Greenland “framework” deal: What we know about it, what we don’t. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/22/trumps-greenland-framework-deal-what-we-know-about-it-what-we-dont
  3. Atlanta News First. (2026, October 28). Report: Peltola’s campaign involved in effort to recruit second Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate race. https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/10/28/report-peltolas-campaign-involved-effort-recruit-second-dan-sullivan-alaska-senate-race/
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026, October 29). Gross domestic product, third quarter 2026 (advance estimate). https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gross-domestic-product
  5. Fox Business. (2026, October 27). Trump announces end to Biden-era methane rule, citing $45B savings. https://foxbusiness.com/politics/trump-announces-end-biden-era-methane-rule-citing-45b-savings
  6. Hellenic Shipping News. (2026, October 2). Crude oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz hit prewar levels but fuel shipments remain constrained. https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/crude-oil-exports-through-the-strait-of-hormuz-hit-prewar-levels-but-fuel-shipments-remain-constrained/
  7. Jewish Insider. (2026, October). El-Sayed denies Muslim Brotherhood ties after Rogers debate claim. https://jewishinsider.com/2026/10/el-sayed-denies-muslim-brotherhood-ties-after-rogers-debate-claim/
  8. Just the News. (2026, October 26). DOJ touts major drops in crime amid enforcement surge. https://justthenews.com/nation/crime/doj-touts-major-drops-crime-amid-enforcement-surge
  9. KMPH. (2026, October). New court filings identify Ilhan Omar by another name as Trump calls for her resignation. https://kmph.com/news/nation-world/new-court-filings-identify-ilhan-omar-by-another-name-as-trump-calls-for-her-resignation-minnesota-congress
  10. Marist Poll. (2026, October). Midterm elections in Ohio, October 2026. https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/midterm-elections-in-ohio-october-2026/
  11. Maritime Executive. (2026, October). Trump puts spotlight on Venezuelan oil with stop in Corpus Christi. https://maritime-executive.com/article/trump-puts-spotlight-on-venezuelan-oil-with-stop-in-corpus-christi
  12. Media Bias/Fact Check. (n.d.). Fact check: Did National Guard deployments cut crime by 71% in Memphis, 75% in New Orleans and 81% in Washington, D.C.? https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/fact-check-did-national-guard-deployments-cut-crime-by-71-in-memphis-75-in-new-orleans-and-81-in-washington-d-c/
  13. PolitiFact. (2026, May 27). In Texas Senate race, Ken Paxton falsely claims James Talarico is a vegan. https://politifact.com/factchecks/2026/may/27/ken-paxton/in-texas-senate-race-ken-paxton-falsely-claims-jam/
  14. Verified Investing. (2026, October 27). Conference Board consumer confidence, October 2026. https://verifiedinvesting.com/blogs/us-economic-metrics/cb-consumer-confidence-october-2026
  15. Wikipedia. (n.d.). Scott Colom. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Colom
  16. WTOP. (2026, July). Darline Graham, sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham, has been sworn in to finish his term. https://wtop.com/politics/2026/07/darline-graham-sister-of-late-sen-lindsey-graham-will-be-sworn-in-to-fill-her-brothers-term/
  17. KPTV. (2026, September 19). Trump announces US-Denmark-Greenland security agreement. https://www.kptv.com/2026/09/19/trump-announces-us-denmark-greenland-security-agreement/

Posted

in

by

Bob Weeks

Tags:

,