Trump in Nebraska, Vance in Alaska Defending Senate Seats at Risk

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John Berman (0:57)

The last time a president campaigned in Grand Island, Nebraska, was George W. Bush in 2006 His party went on to lose 31 house seats and six senate seats.

President Trump is there tonight.

John Berman here in for Anderson. The president also just did a 180 on those taxpayer-funded campaign ads dressed up as so-called public service announcements. But we begin with the president in Nebraska because where he is campaigning says a lot about how he sees his party's chances next month. Nebraska is the state he won by 20 points two years ago. Since Thursday, he has been to nothing but red states. He offered this explanation for it today.

Donald Trump (1:37)

We have massive crowds. We have another sold out crowd today.

Brett McGurk (1:42)

We went to Ohio.

Donald Trump (1:43)

We went to Texas.

Ryan Reynolds (1:44)

We went to Oklahoma.

John Berman (1:47)

And Alabama, all red states. But crowds are no crowds. These are places he simply would not be going if the midterm outlook for the Republicans were not as one Republican member of Congress recently told CNN, a five alarm fire. It is reflected in the polling. These are red state Senate races you are looking at without a single Republican candidate clearly leading and several, most notably in deep red Texas, clearly trailing.

What is not especially clear is how a president who is deeply unpopular can help these candidates by tying their fate so closely to his.

Donald Trump (2:24)

Just pretend that I'm running because if we do, and if you draw the people, you're going to win.

John Berman (2:31)

Now, if that second part boosting turnout among his diehard supporters is the aim, then the president is going to great lengths for it. He's even calling on them to do what he has been telling them falsely for years is cheating.

Donald Trump (2:45)

If your state has early voting, do not wait. Go out and vote. Vote early, vote by mail, or vote in person on election day.

John Berman (2:57)

Vote by mail, he is now saying, which he himself did in the Florida primary this year because in his words, I'm president of the United States. But mostly when he is not doing it himself or telling his supporters to do it, he is railing against it, including, no kidding, today, just two days after pushing for it in that video you just saw.

Donald Trump (3:19)

What we're concerned about is there seems to be a lot of, not seems to be, there is a lot of cheating in vote by mail. A lot of cheating all over. Mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt. Gives people more time to vote illegally, let's say. Mail-in ballots are a big fraud. The cheating on mail-in voting is legendary. Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. They call it mail-in cheating. No more crooked mail-in ballots. Anytime you have mail-in voting, you have corrupt elections. You can never have a real democracy with mail-in ballots.

John Berman (3:53)

That's the president who as recently as Saturday was telling Republicans to vote by mail, talking about the evils of voting by mail. So he's not exactly consistent on the subject. He is, however, fairly consistent when it comes to reporters, mostly women, asking him tough questions. In this case, CNN's Kristen Holmes of The South Lawn today.

Kristen Holmes (4:15)

Your approval ratings with Latino voters has dropped down to 27%.

SPEAKER_3 (4:19)

What's your message to them?

Donald Trump (4:20)

I polled your fake news, your CNN, your fake news. What's your message to Latino voters? My poll numbers are great.

And all you have to do is look at the crowds we're drawing. And every time I leave, that candidate will be losing. And by the time I leave, they're winning. No, CNN poll numbers are fake, your whole outfit is fake, and so are you.