A Republican operative captured how grim his party’s chances in the midterm elections are by offering impossible advice for turning things around.
Republicans in swing districts and even some red states have broken with President Donald Trump on issues ranging from the Iran War to the economy to immigration as voters sour on his second term, and the GOP operative pointed to the decision driving much of that anger, reported CNN.
“Go back in time and never start the war with Iran,” the GOP operative told CNN.
The remark captures the growing gloom inside Trump’s political orbit as his approval ratings sink to record lows and Republican candidates put more distance between themselves and the White House.
According to CNN, Trump advisers have privately conceded there is little hope of winning back the independents and swing voters who helped him carry key states in 2024. The House is their chief worry, but confidence that Republicans can hold the Senate is also fading.
“It’s obviously going to be f—ing rough,” one Trump adviser said. The adviser said the best realistic outcome is a repeat of 2022, when Democrats under then-President Joe Biden narrowly lost the House but held the Senate.
The Senate Leadership Fund this week raised its investment in Texas to $100 million to prop up Senate candidate Ken Paxton, in a state Republicans haven’t lost in decades. Meanwhile, Republican groups, including Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC, have been burning through cash nationwide.
Much of that PAC’s spending now goes through two new groups whose names avoid the MAGA label altogether – No Going Back PAC Inc. and Safety & Affordability PAC Inc.
Candidates are separating themselves from the president in their own ways. Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers, running in one of the country’s most closely watched races, released an ad calling for an end to the conflict.
“The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly,” Rogers said.
Republican Senate candidates in Iowa and Ohio have said similar things, and several GOP candidates have removed Trump references from their campaign websites.
Despite the headwinds, Trump’s team plans to put him on the road nearly every day in October. They’re betting his rallies can raise base turnout by a few points in critical districts. Even in swing states, though, officials said he’ll mainly be sent to conservative areas.
Vice President JD Vance will also campaign, but insiders see him as an extension of Trump who could do more harm than good in some swing districts.
Advisers also acknowledge the risk in their strategy.
“The issue with putting his name on the ballot is it could ultimately serve as a bigger driving force for Democratic voters who hate him,” a GOP campaign official told CNN.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle insisted Trump remains the party’s “unmatched motivator” and is “committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress.”
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