Inside Trump’s Campaign Party Aboard Air Force One

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have fallen to historic lows, while polling for congressional Republicans remains bleak. Yet aboard the increasingly busy Air Force One campaign trail, the party atmosphere is anything but subdued.

Inside the spacious lounge of the new Air Force One donated by Qatar, Trump aides, lawmakers and their spouses mingle, take selfies and interact with celebrity guests while waiting for the president to board.

“It’s definitely a party vibe,” one guest who traveled aboard Air Force One for a campaign trip told the Daily Mail.

Trump has staged 26 rallies in just 23 days, crisscrossing states he carried in 2024 as he makes an aggressive final push to help struggling Republican candidates ahead of Election Day.

The atmosphere intensifies once Trump boards alongside his inner circle, including Natalie Harp, Dan Scavino, Margo Martin and Steven Cheung, as well as aides Walt Nauta and Chris Ambrosini.

Chief of Staff Susie Wiles sometimes joins the group and has helped revive the president’s former campaign operation. Ex-campaign officials Johnny DeStefano, Danielle Alvarez, Alex Bruesewitz and Jason Miller have returned as special government employees.

That upbeat mood, however, contrasts sharply with the national political climate that defined Trump’s previous campaign. His senior advisers believe Republican lawmakers will have no one to blame but themselves if they suffer losses in the midterms.

“The president can only do so much,” one Trump political adviser told the Daily Mail. “If we do fall short in the midterms, it’s not because of the president’s lack of trying or lack of effort.”

Trump is relying on celebrity appearances, political theater and spectacle during the final stretch before voters head to the polls.

Over the past month, the plane has carried boxing greats Floyd Mayweather Jr., Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, along with NASCAR icon Richard Petty, New York Yankees president Randy Levine, former NFL coach Jon Gruden and ex-NFL running back Todd Gurley.

Nicki Minaj, the president’s most prominent celebrity supporter, also energized Trump’s Michigan campaign event last weekend. Trump’s comments about her “a**” drew additional headlines.

Former college football standout Johnny Manziel and two-time Super Bowl champion Danny Amendola likewise joined Trump during his campaign visit to Texas.

Country music performer Jason Aldean also took part in a Trump rally in Georgia.

The celebrity-heavy campaign is producing widespread attention on social media, but it has done little to reassure Republican insiders. They argue that Trump is overlooking the difficult political circumstances confronting the party.

The Daily Mail’s midterms power polling average, which analyzes broader polling trends, puts Democratic support above 51 percent, compared with 43 percent for Republicans.

Former Kansas Republican Gov. Bill Graves told CNN that Trump’s rallies resembled “the freak show at the carnival,” while criticizing what he called the president’s “infatuation with his own self.”

‘It’s always very entertaining,’ he said, ‘but whether or not it translates into increased voter turnout on behalf of Roger Marshall … is hard to be believed.’

The rallies have done nothing to lift Trump’s approval ratings, which remain stubbornly low.

‘Midterms are decided by the president’s approval numbers and economic sentiment, and both of those are absolutely atrocious,’ a Republican campaign leadership aide told the Daily Mail.

A second Republican strategist said efforts to get Trump to focus on affordability and gas prices had fallen flat. ‘The war in Iran was definitely not a smart move. Republicans should have been pushing back a little bit on him, but they’re all afraid.’

On Thursday, Trump abruptly cancelled weekend trips to Kansas and Iowa, two of the toss-up states. He reinstated them less than 24 hours later, after a backlash in the media.

With time running out, lawmakers and staff aboard Air Force One are making memories while they can.

Trump greets every guest when he boards, shaking hands, posing for photos and often giving a quick tour of the plane.

‘It’s an exciting environment,’ a senior White House official told the Daily Mail. ‘Everyone is super-jazzed. A lot of these people have never been on Air Force One.’

After urging everyone to enjoy themselves, he retreats to his office for last-minute calls and meetings.

The days of late-night McDonald’s are over. White House chefs now serve meals that typically reflect the cuisine of the destination, one traveller said. Trump also hands out a steady supply of sweets, including presidential M&M’s, Hershey’s Kisses and Starbursts, which guests keep as souvenirs.

On the outbound flight, Trump works on his speech with speechwriter Ross Worthington and goes over the latest numbers with White House political advisers Matt Brasseaux and Richard Walters.

Outside adviser James Blair, who left the White House in April to focus on the midterms, is back in the fold and working ‘hand in glove’ with Brasseaux, an official said.

His return comes after Trump threatened to fire him when he and fellow adviser Chris LaCivita were caught travelling to the Balkans to advise on a foreign campaign. The president was reportedly placated when the pair donated their fees to his presidential library.

Trump remains dismissive of public polling, but he is closely tracking voter registration margins and early returns.

‘He’s thinking about it holistically,’ said an official familiar with his thinking. ‘He’s focused on winning the midterms. We’re all in this boat together, rowing in the same direction.’

When candidates travel with him, Trump meets with them privately to discuss their races.

The burst of energy has surprised Republican lawmakers, who grumbled privately for most of 2026 that Trump had no appetite for the campaign trail. He has now held 26 rallies in 23 days, almost all in states he won in 2024. Florida, Kansas and Iowa are next before Tuesday’s vote.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been conspicuously absent from the trips. Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming, by contrast, has flown with Trump several times.

‘We are doing all we can to get out the votes in these key Senate races,’ Barrasso told the Daily Mail. ‘It’s so important for voters to know the difference between commonsense Republicans and crazy Democrats.

‘President Trump is crisscrossing the nation to share this message with every single voter, and I’m glad to be with him in so many states.’

Some celebrity guests get a ride on Marine One, or even in The Beast, the armored presidential limo.

‘Mike Tyson gets to ride on Marine One, because Mike Tyson is an American legend,’ one Trump adviser said.

The real party starts on the flight home, when Trump holds court in the centre lounge with football or Fox News on the screens.

‘It’s a bit more social. There’s definitely more of a party vibe on the trip back,’ one guest said.

‘There’s no sleeping. Everyone is cutting loose, talking or working,’ said another.

Anyone who dozes off risks being photographed and mocked in group chats.

Trump himself never sleeps on the plane. ‘To say he is the Energizer bunny is an understatement,’ a senior White House aide said.

If Republicans fall short, his team is quick to note that he still has two years left in office, whoever controls Congress.

‘At the end of the day, I believe that our campaign apparatus, the president’s apparatus, has done everything they can possibly do to help Republicans win,’ one senior official said.

The plane typically lands at Joint Base Andrews in the early hours. Bleary-eyed staff head home, only to be back at the White House a few hours later for the next whirlwind trip.