Good morning. President Trump canceled and uncanceled rallies. He hosted a jungle-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago.

He praised an estranged Democrat while eviscerating one of his former lawyers, referring to her behavior as “totally obnoxious and outrageous.”

He commented on the posterior of multiple people and attacked Bill Maher in a 1,300-word Truth Social post. On Sunday, he alleged multiple people had broken election laws and appeared to call for new investigations. That was all part of the closing message.

As the 2026 midterms bumble and stumble and fumble to a close, all eyes will be on Washington, D.C., and the Lincoln Memorial, where Trump will give his closing remarks at the Reflecting Pool, which has already had its fair share of drama this year.

He won’t be on the campaign trail, in Texas or Kansas or Michigan, where big Senate races are coming down to the wire.

Instead, he’ll be back at the site of one of his many controversies this year. Remember the charges and dropped charges and the blowup with Jeanine Pirro? And this isn’t far from the Kennedy Center, the site of another controversy; and also not far from where he wants to build a Triumphal Arch, another controversy; and quite frankly not far from where he wants to build a new golf course, another controversy. Detect a theme?

Will it end where it began? Is he stronger than he looks? Only voters can determine. Back in September in Dallas (2,000 news cycles ago), Trump implored Republicans to act like he was on the ballot. He believed that he alone can drive turnout for Republicans. Perhaps true. But he can also drive turnout for Democrats. The 2018 midterm elections were the high-water mark for voter turnout, and that’s when Democrats seized back control of the House.

Even though Democrats have had their share of fiascos in the past week (Alaska and Michigan, to name a few), there are many signs that the election could come down to Trump’s low approval rating, the Iran War quagmire and high prices. If that’s the case, then there isn’t much many House and Senate Republican candidates can do. There’s only one messenger who can take that on, and that’s what he will attempt to do Monday at the Lincoln Memorial at 2 p.m. ET. People and Policies I’m Watching Midterms sprint to the finish: As candidates make their final pitches to voters, follow the latest developments here.

Trump’s Monday: Trump will take part in tele-rallies in the morning, then speak at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at 2 p.m. He will later take part in more tele-rallies. What I’m Following (Rebecca Blackwell/AP) David Jolly pitches political civility in bid to flip Florida. In the Florida governor’s race, Democrat David Jolly has made political decency a central part of his campaign during one of the nastiest midterm seasons in recent memory. Facing off against Republican Byron Donalds—a congressman and staunch Trump ally—Jolly is waging a campaign aimed at voters who want a less divisive, more civil kind of politics.

Battle continues for the future of the Democratic Party. Allies of the party’s leaders privately say that an insurgent left-wing has unnecessarily sucked time and money into races that should have been easier for Democrats, to the detriment of other candidates. Progressives say the party’s establishment isn’t doing everything possible to help them win, according to people familiar with the conversations. Both factions want a Democratic Senate. Whatever the outcome, Tuesday’s results are poised to accelerate an internecine battle for the future of the party.

How Rep. Haley Stevens turned on Abdul El-Sayed. Rep. Haley Stevens stunned Democrats on Sunday when she withdrew her endorsement for her Democratic primary opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, and backed Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race. Her reversal sparked condemnations from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and from her own state’s Democratic Party, who said she was no longer welcome as a member. By Sunday evening, she had become a pariah in her own party. What Else Is Happening Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, a rising star in the Democratic Party, suffered a stroke on Saturday.

A namesake challenge to Sen. Dan Sullivan seemed harmless—until the candidate vanished and federal agents started knocking on doors.

The U.S. is backing a quick resumption of Russian natural-gas sales to Europe via pipelines running through Moscow’s wartime enemy—Ukraine. What I’m Reading Mitch Albom: Where Have All the Candidates Gone, Long Time Passing? (Detroit Free Press) Will Revelations About Peltola Senate Race Change Any Votes? (Anchorage Daily News) Talarico Casts Himself as an Underdog, Attacks Elon Musk in Final Houston Rally (Houston Chronicle) About Me I’m Damian Paletta, The Wall Street Journal’s Washington coverage chief.

I’ve covered Washington for 22 years as a reporter and editor. I’ve covered the White House, Congress, national security, the federal budget, economics and multiple market meltdowns.