Midterms: A referendum on President Trump?

Many of today's elections across the country can be seen as a referendum on President Trump. For more on some of the tight races that could determine the control of the Senate, let's turn to reporter Rebecca Castor, live in Washington, D.C. Rebecca, good morning to you. Thanks for joining us. Andre, good morning. All right, so Rebecca, do we know if the White House is viewing tonight's results as a grade label on President Trump's second-term agenda, or does it matter to the president? What's the reporting out of there this morning? Yeah, I mean, I think the White House says that tonight definitely matters for the president's next two years in office. You know, this is what midterm elections are all about, the judgment day for the party in power. And it's rare for that party in power to make gains. But, you know, over the last month, you know, we're not seeing President Trump just roll over so easily with this. He was out on the campaign trail front and center, holding nearly 30 rallies in competitive states across the country. And he's really trying to relay this message. to voters that have been frustrated over the last two years because prices haven't come down yet and now they're dealing with higher gas prices because of the unresolved war in Iran. He's really trying to hammer home the point that he has done things over the last two years that he thinks has helped the U.S. economy. He's highlighted his no tax on tips, no tax on overtime policies, the soaring stock market, Trump accounts. But again, he knows that it's those high prices that voters are frustrated with. And ultimately, his message to voters is he wants them to give him and his party more time It's time to address some of those economic concerns. Rebecca, Michigan, let's turn to that race right now. We have Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat, Mike Rogers, the Republican. I wonder, will the results tell us, you know, how people in Michigan feel about Trump's trade, his tariffs, economic policies in this part of the country? Yeah, I think the race in Michigan, I think you can argue, is one of the hottest races across the country tonight. In regards to the working class vote, yes, if Abdul El-Sayed wins tonight, that is a signal for Republicans that they have lost some ground with working class voters. President Trump won that group in 2024 that ultimately helped him win the White House with getting Michigan in 2024. There's two other groups that we're watching, though, in Michigan as well. We're watching the black vote and we're watching the Jewish vote. Those are two groups The Democrat hasn't done as well with, especially in the final weeks of this election, and that shocking switcheroo from the state's Democratic congresswoman going for the Republican Mike Rogers just over the weekend, that was a big, stunning moment, a big shift there. Unsure if that is going to have an impact, though, this late in the game. All right. And quickly here, we have Texas as well up for grabs, possibly. Ken Paxton, the Republican, James Tallarico, Democrat, hasn't won the seat since 98. What does this mean about the shifting priorities or does this highlight shifting priorities in Texas right now with this close race? Yeah, I think, you know, one of President Trump's strongest priorities during his first two years back in office has been securing the border. So if we do see Texas go blue tonight, I'm not thinking that it's going to be a rejection of President Trump's immigration and border policies. I think, again, that's going to come back to the struggles people are having with their wallets. And James Tallarico, you know, has really been running on this affordability campaign. And if he wins tonight, we'll definitely see Democrats continue to run on. We'll run on that in 2028. Rebecca Castor reporting for us live in Washington, Rebecca. Thank you.