Episode summary
Trump Midterm Push; Stevens and El-Sayed Split Ahead of Election | Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition
Bloomberg Daybreak: US Edition
· · 18 min · Guests: Haley Stevens, Abdul El-Sayed, Mike Rogers, Donald Trump, Howard Marks, Jody Jonsson
Summary
The final day of campaigning centered on whether President Trump’s late push can hold back Democrats in the House and Senate. The host said the president closed with rallies in Kansas and Iowa and a final speech in Washington, while a guest argued the mood favors Democrats, who appear increasingly likely to take the House and have multiple routes to a Senate majority. The polling cited showed Democrats ahead or competitive in several battlegrounds, including Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, Alaska, and Iowa.
The episode also highlighted a Michigan split that underscored Democratic divisions over Israel and Gaza: Haley Stevens endorsed Republican Mike Rogers over Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed after tensions around a church event and an outside ad. A guest said the move showed a schism between moderate and progressive Democrats, though early voting and polling still leave the race uncertain.
Beyond politics, the show covered Middle East tensions, cyberattacks hitting Russian and Ukrainian warning systems, and markets reacting to the AI selloff. The host and analysts said investors are questioning the durability of AI-linked valuations, even as Howard Marks called the move a healthy burst of “tech infallibility” and Sam Altman framed AI as a “new renaissance.”
Key takeaways
- The host said Democrats appear to have a strong chance of taking the House, while a guest said they have multiple paths to a Senate majority.
- Polling cited on the show showed Democrats leading in Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine and Ohio, with Alaska and Iowa close.
- A guest said Haley Stevens backing Mike Rogers in Michigan exposes a split between moderate and progressive Democrats over Israel and Gaza.
- Howard Marks argued the AI selloff shows investors are less willing to believe that tech “can’t lose,” which may reset valuations.
- The show said President Trump’s closing rallies were aimed at protecting a GOP Senate map that still includes several toss-up states.
Notable quotes
“Today is the last day of campaigning before the midterm election that will determine control of Congress”
“The surveys show Democrats leading in Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine, and Ohio, a slight edge over Republicans in Alaska, and virtually tied in Iowa”
“I am endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today”
“it has burst the bubble of tech infallibility”
“I think we're now seeing the potential of something much better”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio, news. — Good morning. I'm Nathan Hager. — And I'm Karen Moscow. Here are the stories we're following today.
Karen, it's the final stretch. Today is the last day of campaigning before the midterm election that will determine control of Congress. And President Trump has one final speech planned this afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, but not before a pair of rallies in the Midwest, closing out about a month of campaigning for the president in mostly red states.
In Salena, Kansas, President Trump warned his supporters what could happen if Democrats win tomorrow night. They want to defund your police, abolish oil and natural gas, wipe out your life savings, bankrupt your family, take away your guns, mutilate your children, and destroy the way of life that's given you something so special.
And in Deuke, Iowa, the president said even a slim majority for Democrats could hurt his agenda. — People would say, "Oh, it's only a couple of votes." Those couple of votes because of the power that they have in terms of the majority, those couple of votes will dominate politics.
And in an interview with the New York Post, President Trump said he might have to become Mr. Veto if Democrats take control tomorrow night.
Well, the final set of polls from the New York Times and Sienna College, Nathan, show Democrats ahead of Republicans in almost all the battleground states that could determine control of the Senate. The surveys show Democrats leading in Michigan, Texas, Kansas, Maine, and Ohio, a slight edge over Republicans in Alaska, and virtually tied in Iowa. Rutgers University polling director Ashley Coning says that lines up with what her surveys are showing.
She says the economy is the overriding issue of this campaign.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- us midterms
- trump campaign
- ai spending outlook
- tech earnings cooling
- democratic party infighting
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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