Candidates enter final week of campaigning with control of Congress at stake

It's crunch time for candidates across the country with Election Day just over a week away. On Monday, President Trump campaigned in ruby-red Mississippi, a state he won by almost 23 points two years ago. Over the weekend, the battleground state of Michigan saw a political heavyweight bout between Trump and former President Obama. Liz Landers reports.

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Amna Nawaz:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

It is crunch time for candidates across the country, as tomorrow marks exactly one week from Election Day. President Trump is spending today campaigning in ruby-red Mississippi, a state he won by almost 23 points two years ago. And it was the battleground state of Michigan that saw a political heavyweight bout this weekend between Mr. Trump and former President Barack Obama.

Liz Landers reports.

Liz Landers:

Stumping in swing states this weekend, President Trump laid out what's at stake in the looming midterm elections now just eight days away.

In the tight Michigan race that will help decide control of the Senate between former Republican Congressman Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the president attacked El-Sayed's faith and said he would be a threat to national security.

President Donald Trump:

I'm here to keep a jihadist Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator. And that's the fact. We're not going to let that happen. The people of Michigan are going to defeat Abdul Mohamed Sayed.

Abdul El-Sayed (D), Michigan Senatorial Candidate: I don't care how he pronounces my name. I don't even care that he remembers my whole name, because he can just go on and call me senator after November.

(CHEERING)

Liz Landers:

El-Sayed, who would be the nation's first Muslim Senator, said Trump's attacks were a distraction from voters' concerns about the economy.

In a contentious interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," El-Sayed's opponent, Mike Rogers, dug in on his allegations linking El-Sayed to the Muslim Brotherhood, even though there is no evidence that El-Sayed has any affiliation with the group.

Kristen Welker, Moderator, "Meet The Press": Is that up to your standard, calling...

Mike Rogers (R), Michigan Senatorial Candidate: No, I don't. I have never called him a terrorist. I have never called him a terrorist. This election is about me versus Abdul. I mean, he's a Democrat Socialists of America-aligned candidate who has these pretty radical support groups that don't like America.

Liz Landers:

Former President Barack Obama brought his own firepower to the trail, rallying Democratic voters in two Midwestern battlegrounds on Saturday, telling crowds in Michigan and Ohio that Trump was responsible for rising costs because of the war with Iran.

Barack Obama:

The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions.

(CHEERING)

Barack Obama:

Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody has for -- nobody voted for.

President Donald Trump:

Washington, D.C., is looking so beautiful.

Liz Landers:

And as President Trump has made many mentions of his Washington, D.C., renovation projects while on the trail, the former president mocked that preoccupation.

Barack Obama:

What's up with the gold? Everything more gold. He's got the white ass looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.

(LAUGHTER)

Liz Landers:

Voters who waited in line for Mr. Trump and Mr. Obama's rallies this weekend spoke about what will draw them to the polls.

Ken Gunnels, Michigan Resident:

Why am I here? I'm here for the future of this country, because I know we're at a crossroads.

Sharday Barnwell, Ohio Resident:

Education, health care, just general access and affordability. Life is just hard for everybody right now.

Liz Landers:

On that issue most important to Americans, the economy, President Trump had this to say while in Georgia:

President Donald Trump:

President Trump is talking about all the money they're making while people are suffering at the pump. That will be the headline. But I said, I don't give a damn. I'm going to say it. We're making a freaking fortune. Our country is getting stronger and stronger all the time.

(CHEERING)

Liz Landers:

Vice President Vance had this to stay in Belgrade, Montana, today:

Vice President J.D. Vance:

As proud as I am of the last 18 months, we have done a lot, but there is still so much more that we can do together.

Liz Landers:

Mr. Trump cast his own ballot on Saturday in Florida, joining nearly 30 million Americans who have already voted early. The president has in the past called early voting ridiculous, one of his many lines of attack on elections in America.

Meantime, the attorney general defended the Trump administration's preemptive lawsuit against Alaska state election officials, where the DOJ sued late last week to block the certification of the election if the Democrat wins. Blanche said there could be confusion over the incumbent Republican senator facing off against another candidate with almost the exact same name.

Todd Blanche, U.S. Attorney General:

If there is litigation -- there may not be, but if there is litigation brought by others after the election because of possible voter confusion, that the ballots are kept in a way that the Alaska state -- that the Alaska state election system can determine who the accurate winner is.

Liz Landers:

It's a move that the president says he directed. The Justice Department also defended another challenge to how states administer their elections in a legal battle playing out in California after the federal government asked state officials there to review and set aside more than 20,000 ballots that they believe were sent to noncitizens.

In a rare Sunday argument session, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appeared skeptical of the Justice Department's demand, questioning the timing and authority of the federal government's actions.

And while instances of noncitizens voting are very rare, the Trump administration has made a big push to prosecute these cases. This morning, the Justice Department announced new charges against 48 noncitizens alleged to have illegally voted or registered to vote. It is important to note that, even though charges are filed, it does not necessarily mean any illegal voting actually happened.

In the rare instances where noncitizens get registered to vote, there is some administrative confusion and that voting has not taken place there. Including those charged today, a little more than 200 people have been charged for illegal voting since the start of Trump's second term. And for prospective, Amna, there were more than 230 million Americans registered in the 2024 presidential election.

Amna Nawaz:

And, Liz, we saw President Trump weigh in on exactly that on social media today before leaving for Mississippi. What did he have to say?

Liz Landers:

He posted on TRUTH Social that for anyone who turns over voter fraud in past or present elections, that that person will get a million-dollar payout from the government. However, caveat is that the person has to be convicted.

The president did not explain exactly how this will be -- happen or where the money will come from or whether this is even legal. But he did also announce something similar last week in the Oval Office, saying that he would personally decide on giving payouts in a whistle-blower protection program that he announced with a $25 million fund just last week.

Amna Nawaz:

All right, Liz Landers, thank you very much.

Liz Landers:

Of course.