Trump's vote-by-mail attacks may backfire

Plus, the Republican who is not quite antagonizing Trump |

Thursday, October 08, 2026 Selena Kuznikov: Banking votes If Republicans hope to limit the damage in the midterm elections, they need their most die-hard voters to cast ballots. The problem: President Donald Trump has spent years persuading them to distrust one of the best ways to make sure that happens — voting by mail. With Democrats showing greater enthusiasm and races unexpectedly tight in reliably Republican states, the GOP needs to bank as many votes as possible from its base. That may be why Trump took to Truth Social over the weekend to urge voters to cast ballots early, including by mail. “Vote early,” Trump said in a video. “Vote by mail or vote in person on Election Day, November 3rd, so we can defeat the radical left Dumocrats in a midterm victory that is too big to rig.” Banking votes cannot solve an enthusiasm gap on its own. But it gives a campaign more time to narrow one. Once the most reliable supporters have cast a ballot, field operatives can focus their dwindling resources on the less certain voters. But Trump has made that harder for Republican campaigns. Read Selena Kuznikov’s analysis here.   TODAY’S QUESTION Should student loans be based on potential earnings? The Department of Education is using IRS data to assess whether certain programs whose graduates earn less should be ineligible for federal student loans, making degrees in fields such as social work, fine arts and religious studies harder to afford. VOTE HERE TRUMP’S WEEK IN REVIEW Here are some more highlights of the president’s actions over the past seven days: Proposed turning part of his Mar-a-Lago club into a permanent retreat for future presidents and world leaders Announced his super PAC will pay for future ads featuring him but said it will not reimburse the millions already spent by the government Said that reporters with The New York Times and other “Artificial Media Outlets” should be arrested for a story about low turnout at his rallies  Posted on social media the apparent cell phone number of a Republican senator who opposed his plan on daylight savings time   THE CHALLENGERS The news can feel overwhelming. But each week, we pause to highlight a person, organization or movement sticking up for their principles or their fellow Americans. This week’s challenger is North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis.  In theory, this week’s challenger should be an obvious pick. A two-term senator who has decided not to run for re-election, Tillis wrote a memoir called “How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents.” In it, he calls out the “sycophants” surrounding Trump and he says his vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense was the “biggest regret” of his career and that at least 30 Republican senators have expressed reservations in private about many of Trump’s actions. But the book tour has also exposed the limits of Republican pushback. In interviews, he has blamed advisers for giving Trump “bad advice” and has argued that they didn’t help Trump plan ahead. “Most of the issues that we're dealing with here have less to do with what he wanted to accomplish but how he went about it,” he said in one interview. NUMBER OF THE WEEK 2.9 Trump’s tariffs pushed prices higher. That’s the conclusion of new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. By February of this year, tariffs added 2.9 percentage points to price inflation of goods sold in the US. Without them, prices would have fallen. Two-thirds of the increase was because imports cost more. The other third, however, came from U.S. companies raising prices either because the parts they imported were more expensive or because they wanted to match their competitors who were — wait for it — charging more for imported goods. The report confirms what Americans already know: life is expensive, and tariffs aren’t helping. This year, families will spend an extra $820 to $1,100 because of them. And tariffs aren’t even lowering the trade deficit as the administration hoped for. In August it reached a 17-month high. — Stephanie Ruhle, host of “Money, Power, Politics with Stephanie Ruhle” TOP STORIES Adam Hudacek and Nnamdi Egwuonwu Farmers are upset about fuel costs, but some are sticking with Republicans anyway Zeeshan Aleem Trump’s gimmicky refund checks have hit mailboxes. The letters that accompany them are jarring. Molly Claflin Democrats’ secret weapon for holding Trump accountable Kevin Frey The new message Democrats think will help them win back the House MORE FROM MS NOW This week on “Clock It,” Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels are joined by Michael Steele to discuss the state of the Republican Party, big money in politics and more. Listen now and subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for ad-free listening and bonus content. 229 West 43rd St. New York, NY 10036 UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY | CONTACT | VIEW IN BROWSER UNSUBSCRIBE | PRIVACY | CONTACT | VIEW IN BROWSER