Trump and Obama hit the campaign trail. Will it make a difference for candidates?

NPR | By Stephen Fowler,

Leila Fadel

Published October 22, 2026 at 6:43 AM EDT

With President Trump and former President Barack Obama on the campaign trail, can campaign surrogates really move the needle in high profile, high-stakes races?

Stephen Fowler

Stephen Fowler is a political reporter with NPR’s Washington Desk, where he currently reports on the restructuring of federal government and the future of the Democratic and Republican parties after Donald Trump’s return to office.

Leila Fadel

Leila Fadel is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.

See stories by Leila Fadel

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