Republicans grow increasingly worried about Trump's negative polls [View all]

Source: The Hill

05/19/26 6:00 AM ET


Republicans see President Trump’s sagging approval ratings as a major problem heading into the midterms. Their fears are underscored by a New York Times/Siena College poll released Monday showing Trump’s approval ratings hitting new second-term lows as voters expressed anxiety about inflation, gas prices and U.S. involvement in the war in Iran.

While GOP leaders are projecting confidence publicly, Republicans privately fear that rising costs mostly stemming from the ongoing war may lead to record losses in the upcoming elections. “It’s a serious problem,” said one Republican consultant and Trump ally who has clients involved in competitive races. “He ran on the economy and immigration and both are in the s—ter.”. “If he’s sitting in the low 30s as we approach November, Republicans are screwed, period, hard stop,” the consultant said.

Kevin Madden, a veteran Republican strategist, said that while there’s still time for Trump and the GOP to recover, it’s a “tough environment” for Republican candidates.

“While a lot of the focus tends to be on the day-to-day noise of campaign season, the state of the broader political environment can be measured by some key fundamentals. Presidential approval rating, right direction-wrong direction indices, and consumer sentiment all provide good indicators of what mood campaigns will be encountering back home in states and districts across the country,” Madden said. “Right now, all these indicators are flashing.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5883896-republicans-fear-trump-approval-decline/