TOI Correspondent from Washington: Four days before a midterm election that could leave him politically out of shape, US President Donald Trump decided to conduct a fitness assessment — of a Reuters journalist. Faced with an innocuous question about why he was cancelling campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa, the MAGA boss erupted into an unsolicited lecture on the journalist’s weight, appearance, and general state of health, betraying frayed nerves that do not augur well for his party.“You are a sick guy! Reuters is terrible, by the way. Look at this guy… he’s way out of shape… You are disgusting! Put yourself in shape! You look like hell!” Trump exploded at the reporter, pushing back at any suggestion that he was tired or backing out of rallies because of heckling and poor attendance. He said he felt great and the reason he was not going to those states was because Republican candidates were doing very well and his energies were better devoted elsewhere.The exchange was not merely an illustration of a President with an unusually short fuse that has been sizzling lately; it was also a revealing snapshot of a leader entering the final stretch of an election campaign with considerably more anxiety than his public bravado suggests. Polls show Democratic candidates leading, tied, or narrowing margins in the most unexpected places, including ruby red states Trump won by 10 to 20 points in the 2024 Presidential elections.For instance, in Kansas, a state that has not elected a Democrat Senator since 1932, polls put Democrat Adam Hamilton ahead of incumbent Roger Marshall 49-45. Texas, which last elected a Democrat Senator in 1988 and which Trump carried comfortably in 2024, has become a genuine Senate battleground, with Democrat James Talarico — who incidentally was ladling out dosas on Thursday in an effort to court Indian-American votes — ahead of Republican Ken Paxton. South Carolina, where Republican Darline Graham is hoping to succeed her late brother Lindsay Graham as senator, has also tightened considerably.Even more unnerving for Republicans are the warning signs from states that have traditionally been considered political fortresses, including Louisiana and Mississippi, which last elected a Democratic senator in 1982. If Dems win all these races, they would be on track to reverse the Republicans’ 53-47 control of the Senate,A Democratic takeover of both chambers would leave Trump facing not merely hostile congressional hearings but chambers capable of blocking appointments, frustrating legislation, and investigating an administration dogged by allegations of cronyism and self-enrichment.Republicans, naturally, have a theory about why the polls are wrong: the hidden Trump voter. They argue that there are millions of Trump supporters who refuse to participate in polls, conceal their preferences or simply do not admit to pollsters that they intend to vote Republican. They will emerge, the theory goes, on Election Day and deliver the customary surprise.But hoping for invisible voters is not quite the same as having visible enthusiasm. In fact, some of the most visible activity at recent Trump rallies has been distinctly uncomfortable for the president and his MAGA faithful. Hecklers have interrupted Trump’s speeches at rallies and his surrogates have been pranked on several occasions. At an Ohio rally, a comedian who goes by the name Robby Roadsteamer managed to interrupt Trump with a reference to Jeffrey Epstein, before being escorted out amid chants of “USA!USA!” a standard MAGA response. The president’s explanation was that such protesters were paid by radical left political enemies. Roadstreamer meanwhile took credit for Trump’s subsequent cancellation of the Kansas and Iowa appearances, announcing online: “Trump cancelled the rest of his rallies! You’re welcome, America.” Trump allies, including Vivek Ramaswamy and Fox News, have also been punked by pranksters, who present themselves as MAGA loyalists before turning on them on camera.Trump’s own response to the heckling and harsh scrutiny by the mainstream media has been to crank the personal insults up another notch, with consequent blowback that is raising political temperature all around. When he suggested that Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed should have to pass through a metal detector before entering the Senate (suggesting he is a jihadist who cannot be trusted), the Michigan Democrat clapped back: “I’ll go through a metal detector if you’ll sit for a lie detector” — to answer questions about his ties to Epstein. Trump has also repeatedly disparaged Texas’ Democratic candidate James Talarico as “Tala-freako” — part of his chronic habit of name-calling.There is a broader political backdrop to the president’s increasingly irritable demeanour. His administration is facing mounting accusations of corruption, grift, and self-dealing, while its aggressive efforts to influence election processes have raised questions about whether Trump is prepared to accept an adverse outcome in the election. Past record does not inspire any great confidence.