President has hit red states to drum up Republican support – and his increasingly strange performances are on full display

Montana, Tennessee, Alaska. In the run-up to an election, a Republican president typically wouldn’t be campaigning in these traditionally red states.

These aren’t normal times, however, and Donald Trump, an unpopular president leading an unpopular party, has held rallies in those states in the last week, seeking to drum up support. But a series of eccentric performances from the president means his behavior has been the focus, rather than any of the candidates he is backing.

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© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

© Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

Plus, Katie Zacharia’s ouster, A.O.C. on the trail, and another tense debate in Maine.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

The Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan, and his Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola, veered from serious discussion of high prices and economic challenges to blistering personal attacks.

© Matt Faubion/Alaska Public Media

Statehouses make health-care policy, guide education, and may redraw congressional districts ahead of 2028. With the stakes high, more than 6,100 legislators will be elected Nov. 3.

© Ashley Wu/The New York Times

The president has stepped up his offers of financial rewards to voters with just weeks until the midterms. On Tuesday at a rally in Alaska, he announced pardons.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times