What is the current state of US politics?

Current State of US Politics (as of late September 2026)

Second Trump Term & 2026 Midterms
The dominant story right now is the run-up to the November 3, 2026 midterm elections. Elections are scheduled to be held on November 3, 2026, in the United States, during Republican president Donald Trump's second term, with all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate contested, along with 39 gubernatorial races and numerous state and local elections. Notably, 61 representatives and two non-voting delegates (26 Democrats and 37 Republicans) have announced their retirement, marking historically high turnover.

Polling suggests a tough environment for Republicans: a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds President Trump — and his unpopularity — is an outsize factor in why most voters say they want Democrats to win the midterms. On the Senate map, the goal of keeping Democratic Senate seats and flipping four GOP seats once felt like a long shot, but now it's feasible.

Redistricting Fights
Partisan redistricting battles have become a major flashpoint. In Missouri, the [state court] ruling is a defeat for Republicans seeking to give their party an edge in the midterms for control of the House, and more broadly a court decision there ends a complicated legal fight that has injected uncertainty into November's midterm elections in the state.

Press Freedom Clashes
There's an ongoing legal fight between the White House and major news organizations. A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore access to CNN, MS NOW and Politico, after they were banned from covering White House events, with the judge finding Trump's ban was likely unconstitutional. This stems from Trump posting that he had banned the news organizations "as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" and threatened to ban other outlets.

Foreign Policy
China relations are in the spotlight, with Xi Jinping making his first state visit to the U.S. in over a decade for talks with Trump, though observers note little is likely to be resolved as the two economies continue to spar over trade, Taiwan, and AI, with U.S.-China relations at an effective standstill since a trade war shook the global economy last year. Separately, the administration has been active on Venezuela, with an agreement to give the United States a stake in Venezuela's vast oil reserves following a first meeting between Trump and Venezuelan officials.

Government-Funded Political Ads
A controversy has emerged over taxpayer-funded messaging: the Trump administration launched television ads featuring Trump, calling them "public service announcements," with one ad ending with him saying "This is only the beginning of the golden age of America"; AdImpact estimates the administration has spent more than $400,000 to air the ads, which critics argue are campaign-style ads meant to boost the president's party ahead of the midterms.

Health Policy
RFK Jr.'s HHS continues to push controversial health positions, including continuing to push vaccine skepticism, and reportedly showing favorable response to a food-industry petition that experts said could lead to significant changes for the industry.

Military/Veterans Tensions
There's friction over military conditions, with Sen. Gillibrand criticizing the administration, saying "What Trump and Secretary Hegseth dismissed as 'fake news' turned out to be serious and deteriorating conditions for our service members," and that "this administration can find endless taxpayer dollars for bombs, ballrooms, and billionaires, but cannot take care of our service members."

Bottom line: The political climate is highly charged heading into the midterms, marked by intense partisan battles over redistricting, press access, and Trump's approval ratings, with control of Congress genuinely in play.