{"id":9427,"date":"2026-05-27T12:01:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9427"},"modified":"2026-05-27T12:01:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:01:47","slug":"trump-is-getting-the-republican-party-that-he-wants-but-can-he-win-in-the-midterms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=9427","title":{"rendered":"Trump is getting the Republican Party that he wants. But can he win in the midterms?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By BILL BARROW and STEVE PEOPLES<\/strong><\/p>\n

President Donald Trump is on a winning streak in Republican primaries, most recently endorsing Ken Paxton ahead of his Tuesday runoff victory over Sen. John Cornyn in Texas.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump gathers Cabinet as he looks to seal deal to end war that some backers worry will embolden Iran<\/a><\/p>\n

But Trump\u2019s tightening grip on his party could make it harder to win in the November midterms, when Republicans face a broader electorate that has soured on the president\u2019s second term and the economy.<\/p>\n

The risk is compounded, Republican operatives say, by how cavalier the billionaire president has been in addressing Americans\u2019 financial worries, which have been exacerbated by Trump\u2019s trade rollercoaster and his ongoing war against Iran.<\/p>\n

Republican strategist David Urban, a Trump ally, acknowledged the president\u2019s approach is making things harder for his party.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a tough fall unless things dramatically change,\u201d Urban said.<\/p>\n

He warned that Trump cannot afford a haphazard exit from the war with Iran to resolve a conflict that has created a chokehold on global oil supplies and driven gas prices higher for Americans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the president wants to help,\u201d he said, but \u201cyou do not want to give the Iranians a win just because of the midterms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Trump brushes off economic troubles<\/h4>\n

Not only are prices higher after Trump\u2019s tariffs and his Iran war, but the president has repeatedly described affordability concerns as a \u201choax.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump mused that increases in gas prices \u2014 up more than 50% in the U.S. since Trump and Israel launched attacks on Iran \u2014 amount to \u201cpeanuts.\u201d He said he does not consider Americans\u2019 personal finances \u201ceven a little bit\u201d when mulling options in Iran, insisting that preventing the country from obtaining nuclear weapons is his only priority.<\/p>\n

All of that comes as Trump badgers Congress to spend $1 billion on his White House ballroom project and allocate $1.8 billion to pay restitution to people who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes \u2014 potentially including those who violently attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a cascade that Republicans in every battleground House district, Senate election or statewide contest will have to navigate in the fall.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cYou keep the House and Senate by having a message, by dealing with the issues voters are clearly complaining about,\u201d said Republican strategist Rick Tyler, a Trump critic. \u201cThe administration has utterly failed to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has been more than two weeks since the Republican National Committee distributed talking points to surrogates that mention the economy, according to messaging documents reviewed by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The only talking points sent out last week focused on defending Trump\u2019s $1.8 billion \u201canti-weaponization fund.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDemocrats and the fake-news media are deliberately ignoring the fact that this fund is not limited to Republicans or Trump supporters,\u201d said the message on May 23.<\/p>\n

Two weeks earlier, the RNC encouraged surrogates to praise the president and his party for \u201cdelivering lower costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The messaging ignored the exploding cost of gas, but noted that the price of eggs, school supplies and butter was down significantly over last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump promised to lower prices, and he is doing just that,\u201d the talking points said.<\/p>\n

Democrats see opportunity in Trump\u2019s struggles<\/h4>\n

Republicans began Trump\u2019s second presidency with a 220-215 advantage in the House. They\u2019ve boosted their chances to hold the majority by redrawing congressional maps in several Republican-run states. But Democrats are still confident they can flip enough seats to reclaim a majority.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s latest immigration move clouds the path to green cards<\/a><\/p>\n

Republicans have a more significant 53-47 advantage in the Senate. However, leaders of both parties agree that control of the chamber is in play. Some Republicans blame Trump for backing candidates like Paxton, who has faced years of scandals and could prove more vulnerable in a race against Democratic nominee James Talarico in the fall.<\/p>\n

Viet Shelton, a spokesman for House Democrats\u2019 campaign committee, said Trump\u2019s redistricting push shows that he understands his party\u2019s troubles.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve given up on trying to win over voters fair and square, so they\u2019re resorting to rigging the midterms through illegal gerrymanders and voter suppression,\u201d Shelton said.<\/p>\n

Democratic advisers said Trump\u2019s struggles have shifted the dynamics in multiple races. Their list of Republican-held House targets now includes many districts that Trump carried by double digits. In special elections and odd-year elections since Trump\u2019s second inauguration, Democrats have consistently outperformed their 2024 results.<\/p>\n

Voters can expect to see clips of Trump\u2019s comments on the economy featured in Democratic advertising this fall. However, party operatives said the broader strategy is to acknowledge the president\u2019s appeal as a populist but argue that he and his Republican loyalists have failed to deliver.<\/p>\n

In U.S. House districts in Iowa, for example, that means emphasizing how tariffs have affected the farm economy and how the Iran war has increased the prices of diesel fuel and fertilizer. In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, that means talking about how Trump\u2019s immigration crackdown has roiled the local economy in Latino communities.<\/p>\n

Republicans are frustrated behind closed doors<\/h4>\n

Republican strategists are worried by Trump\u2019s lack of focus on the economy \u2014 and the lack of transparency from Trump\u2019s team about how it plans to deploy its massive campaign accounts.<\/p>\n

The pro-Trump super PAC known as MAGA Inc. held more than $356 million at the end of April. Yet many Republican strategists say they\u2019ve received no clear indication of how, where and when Trump\u2019s team plans to spend the money, according to several operatives who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.<\/p>\n

They see one bright spot in James Blair, Trump\u2019s political general, leaving the White House to focus on the midterms.<\/p>\n

The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the president\u2019s strategy and confidence about the midterms.<\/p>\n

Perhaps underscoring Republicans\u2019 conundrum, Trump remains a fundraising juggernaut. He helped House Republicans rake in $36.8 million in a single fundraising dinner last month, a committee record.<\/p>\n

Mike Marinella, spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Trump \u201cputs House Republicans in the strongest possible position to defy history and win in November.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, a candidate must win the Republican nomination to even be around for the fall campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe president has chosen to be aggressive in endorsing candidates he believes are the best advocates for his agenda and have been loyal to him,\u201d Republican campaign veteran Chip Lake said.<\/p>\n

Lake is leading an independent expenditure effort on behalf of Georgia Republican Burt Jones, the Trump-endorsed candidate in a June 16 primary runoff for governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult, if not impossible to win a primary in today\u2019s environment if the president is working against you,\u201d Lake said. And whatever the general election consequences, he added, independents and moderates \u201cmake up a very tiny, even minuscule portion of Republican primaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Townhall Wednesday on state commission\u2019s recommendations for mooring and pier use in Newport Harbor<\/a><\/p>\n

Barrow reported from Atlanta. Peoples reported from New York.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trump showcased his influence in Republican primaries, recently endorsing Ken Paxton, but his grip might backfire in the midterm elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTrump is getting the Republican Party that he wants. 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