Political News Roundup: Trump Poll Slide, Supreme Court Power Shift and Global Talks

Reporting window: October 19, 2026, 7:56 a.m. through October 20, 2026, 7:56 a.m. Eastern. As of: October 20, 2026, 7:56 a.m. Eastern.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump entered the closing phase of the midterm campaign with his approval rating at a record low in a Reuters/Ipsos poll and Republicans defending a Kansas Senate seat their party has held for 94 years. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court left Trump’s firing of a labor-board member intact, reinforcing a major expansion of presidential power over regulatory agencies.

Internationally, Trump said he was open to three-way nuclear talks with the leaders of Russia and China. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also made an unannounced visit to Israel, where Israeli officials said he discussed Iran with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Pentagon did not disclose details.

Trump campaigns in Kansas as approval falls to 31%

Trump traveled Monday to Park City, Kansas, to support Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in a race that has become unusually competitive. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932, and Trump carried the state by 16 percentage points in 2024.

Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, a Methodist pastor campaigning against Trump’s tariffs and what Hamilton calls the president’s erratic leadership. The competitiveness of the contest does not establish that either candidate will win. It does show that Republicans are spending presidential campaign time in territory that normally would require little national attention.

Trump argued that recent unrest in France showed what could happen in the United States if Democrats took control. He offered no evidence connecting American Democrats to the riots or looting in France. His comparison was a campaign claim, not a documented forecast.

The president also used anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim language while attacking Hamilton. Marshall focused heavily on cultural issues and called his opponent “too woke.” Hamilton’s campaign responded that voters were more concerned about fuel prices, health care and corruption.

Rising prices

Economic anxiety was visible around the event. A truck-stop sign near the arena listed gasoline at $3.98 a gallon and diesel at $5.78. Reuters reported that Kansas gasoline prices were about 45% higher than the state’s average a year earlier, citing AAA. Reuters reported from the Kansas rally.

The appearance followed a Reuters/Ipsos poll that placed Trump’s approval at 31%, his lowest reading in either presidential term. Sixty-eight percent disapproved of his management of the economy, including 37% of self-identified Republicans.

On a national congressional preference question, registered voters favored Democrats over Republicans 47% to 35%. Women backed Democrats 50% to 32%. The online survey included 1,679 adults, including 1,279 registered voters. Its margin of error was plus or minus two percentage points for all adults and three points for registered voters.

A national generic-ballot poll cannot predict individual House or Senate contests. District boundaries, candidate quality, turnout and the Senate map can produce results that differ from national sentiment. Still, the result helps explain why Republicans are defending seats in traditionally conservative states. Reuters published the survey and methodology.

The $5,000 check promise faces questions from supporters

Trump continues to promise $5,000 payments to American adults if Republicans retain both chambers of Congress. The president has acknowledged that the proposal would cost more than $1 trillion. Congress has not approved the payments, and the White House has not released a detailed legislative or financing plan.

The administration says trade agreements, foreign investment commitments, government stakes in companies and natural-resource deals could help finance the proposal. However, even some Trump supporters interviewed by the Associated Press questioned whether the checks would arrive or whether voting should be tied to direct government payments.

Trump previously supported $2,000 tariff dividends and refunds associated with spending reductions, but those payments did not materialize. The current pledge therefore remains a conditional campaign promise, not guaranteed income. The Associated Press examined the proposal and voter reaction.

Supreme Court leaves Trump’s NLRB firing intact

The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear former National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox’s challenge to her dismissal. That action left in place a federal appeals court ruling that found Trump’s January 2025 firing lawful.

Wilcox, a Democratic appointee and the first Black woman to serve on the board, had received a second five-year term in 2023. Federal law had protected NLRB members from removal without cause. A federal district judge initially sided with Wilcox, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reversed that decision 2-1.

The justices did not issue a new opinion explaining the denial. Therefore, Monday’s action did not create a separate precedent. Its practical effect was to preserve the lower-court judgment and Wilcox’s dismissal.

The order followed the court’s June ruling that upheld Trump’s firing of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter. That ruling overturned the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent, which had allowed Congress to protect leaders of certain independent agencies from removal at the president’s discretion.

Wilcox said she was disappointed and argued that workers and employers need an impartial labor board. The Justice Department declined to comment. The broader legal result gives presidents more direct control over officials at agencies Congress designed to operate with some independence. Reuters reported the procedural history and court action.

Trump opens door to nuclear talks with Putin and Xi

Trump said Monday that he was open to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping for three-way talks as early as next month. He said nuclear weapons and denuclearization would be the main subjects, while trade could also enter the discussion.

The possible venue is the November 18-19 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China. Trump has agreed to attend APEC. However, the White House, Russian government and Chinese government have not jointly announced a trilateral meeting or an agenda.

Trump’s statement advances the matter beyond the anonymously sourced proposal reported Sunday, but it does not establish that the summit will happen. The three leaders have met one another separately but have never held formal talks together.

Substantive obstacles remain. The New START nuclear-arms treaty expired earlier this year. China has said its arsenal is not comparable in size to those of the United States and Russia and has called demands for trilateral disarmament unfair and unrealistic at this stage.

Trump also said Ukraine would not be his primary reason for attending and criticized President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Those comments represent the president’s position, not an agreement among the affected governments. Ukraine and European allies remain concerned that talks excluding Kyiv could produce terms favoring Moscow. Reuters reported Trump’s remarks and the governments’ positions.

Hegseth meets Netanyahu during unannounced Israel visit

Hegseth met Netanyahu at an Israeli air force base during an unannounced visit Monday, according to three Israeli officials who spoke to Reuters. The officials said Iran was discussed but did not provide details.

The Pentagon declined to comment, and Netanyahu’s office did not immediately issue a public account. Hegseth confirmed only that he had visited U.S. service members in the Central Command region. As a result, the meeting itself is supported by multiple Israeli officials, but its decisions and full agenda remain undisclosed.

The visit came amid U.S.-Iran tension over the Strait of Hormuz and escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. It also followed Trump’s endorsement of Netanyahu before Israel’s October 27 election. Both Trump and Netanyahu have said they do not plan new attacks on Iran before their respective elections, but those statements are current policy positions rather than binding guarantees. Reuters reported the visit and its limited official disclosure.

Ukrainians and Sudanese receive a temporary deportation reprieve

More than 100,000 Ukrainian and Sudanese nationals can remain in the United States temporarily after their Temporary Protected Status was scheduled to expire Monday. The Department of Homeland Security said roughly 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese covered by the programs retain protection while the agency prepares a final announcement.

DHS did not say how long the reprieve would last or whether it had made a final decision. The agency also did not directly answer whether work permits remain valid, although TPS generally authorizes employment while protection continues.

Federal rules provide an automatic six-month extension if the homeland security secretary does not make a determination at least 60 days before a designation expires. TPS protects eligible people from deportation to countries facing war, natural disasters or other dangerous conditions, but it does not provide permanent residency. The Associated Press reported the DHS statement and unresolved questions.

What to watch next

The Kansas Senate race will test whether national dissatisfaction can overcome a state’s strong partisan history. The administration must also decide whether to turn the $5,000 promise into legislation before Election Day or leave it as a campaign pledge.

In Washington, the Supreme Court’s treatment of independent agencies will affect future disputes over presidential removal power. Abroad, formal confirmation of a Trump-Putin-Xi meeting and public details from Hegseth’s Israel trip would determine whether either development has moved beyond exploratory diplomacy.

Finally, DHS must clarify how long Ukrainians and Sudanese may remain protected and whether their employment documents require renewal. Until the department acts, the immediate reprieve is confirmed, but its duration remains unresolved.

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