Trump ends midterm campaign in Kansas, warns US can shut down Iran 'any time'
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
US President Donald Trump wrapped up his 2026 midterm campaign on Sunday, 2 November at a rally in Salina, Kansas, declaring that the United States could shut down Iran 'any time we want' and claiming that no one had entered the country illegally in 17 months. The Salina event was described by Trump as his 30th rally of the campaign cycle.
The Final Stop
'This is actually, this is our last stop. We close it down tonight,' Trump told the crowd in Salina, framing the event as the culmination of a gruelling campaign stretch. The rally went ahead after Trump had earlier in the week cancelled in-person events in Kansas and Iowa in favour of tele-rallies. He addressed supporters in Iowa earlier on Sunday before flying to Kansas for the closing event.
Trump said he had made the Kansas trip specifically to support Senator Roger Marshall's re-election bid. 'I didn't want to take a chance,' he said. He also urged voters to back Republican Ty Masterson for governor and directed sustained fire at Marshall's Democratic opponent, Adam Hamilton — a Methodist pastor — whom Trump called 'a radical left lunatic.'
Iran Remarks and Nuclear Deal Contrast
Trump made pointed remarks about Iran, claiming the US had overwhelmed Tehran. 'We can close them down any time we want. We're trying to be nice,' he said, adding: 'But I think it's going to be very close. We're just going to close them down. That's going to be the end of it.'
He drew a sharp contrast with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed under former President Barack Obama. 'You know, that JCPOA was a path to a nuclear weapon. We did the opposite,' Trump said, asserting that Iran 'never will have a nuclear weapon.' The remarks come amid ongoing diplomatic tensions over Iran's nuclear programme.
Oil Price Claims vs Official Data
Trump claimed US oil prices were 'much lower than Sleepy Joe Biden and Barack Hussein Obama,' a statement that appears to contradict publicly available figures. According to US Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, the national average price of regular gasoline stood at approximately $4.27 a gallon as of 26 October — roughly $1.23 higher than a year earlier. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude averaged around $107 a barrel in the week ended 23 October, compared with approximately $73 to $79 a barrel in January 2025 when former President Joe Biden left office.
Immigration Claims and Voter Mobilisation
On immigration, Trump repeated his claim that the southern border had been effectively sealed. 'And now we've gone 17 months, think of it, with zero people coming into our country illegally,' he told supporters. He accused Democrats of 'openly promising to abolish your borders' and seeking to 'raise your taxes by trillions and trillions of dollars.'
Trump urged supporters to vote in person on Tuesday rather than by mail. 'I really want you to pretend I'm on the ballot,' he said, adding that if Republicans matched turnout from his own elections, 'we win in a landslide.' With voting day imminent, both parties are in a final push across competitive Senate and gubernatorial contests.