Republican frustration with Donald Trump is spilling into the open, with some warning that his focus on high-profile personal and political priorities is hurting the party’s chances heading into the midterms.
Polling has consistently shown Democrats holding an edge over Republicans in the battle for control of Congress.
The latest New York Times/Siena poll showed Democrats leading Republicans by 11 points in the race for Congress, 50 percent to 39 percent among registered voters.
Still, in recent months, Trump has seemed focused on anything other than his party’s fate in the midterms.
He has almost daily promoted plans for his new $400 million ballroom.
He has also started a war in Iran, which has seen energy prices spike. According to AAA, the national average for regular gasoline has risen above $4.50 a gallon, with prices topping $5 in seven states.
Meanwhile, Trump has dismissed concerns over rising gas prices despite polling that shows cost of living and the economy remain voters’ top priorities.
He has also endorsed a MAGA-aligned challenger against Texas’s senior Republican senator, defying warnings from party strategists that the move could put the seat at risk.
In addition, Trump has launched a $1.8 billion fund aimed at compensating individuals he says were victims of “weaponization and lawfare,” including people charged in connection with the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
As a result, some Republicans argue that Trump is prioritizing his own agenda over efforts to strengthen the party’s position heading into the midterm elections.
Sen. Thom Tillis, who is not seeking re-election, sharply criticized Trump’s new fund, calling it “stupid on stilts.”
Last week, Trump slammed Tillis on Truth Social, describing him as “weak and ineffective” and a “Nitpicker.”
Tillis fired back, writing in a post on X, “We need Republicans to do well in November, but the stupid stuff is killing our chances!”
Republican strategist Whit Ayres added that Trump is straying from the priorities that typically define the party’s electoral message.
“The president was elected to juice the economy, to bring down inflation, to stop illegal immigration and to get away from woke culture,” he told the New York Times, adding, “If his highest goal were to maintain control of Congress, he would not be doing what he is doing.” Ayres also called the $1.776 billion fund a “whole new level of brazenness.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, who has been one of Trump’s biggest opponents in the party, warned that Republicans could face a difficult midterm environment, saying the party will be “very vulnerable” in the fall.
“It’s true, you can take out Republicans in primaries, but Republicans are going to be very vulnerable this fall,” he told NBC News.
He also warned that internal discontent is growing, describing a wave of “Trump Disappointment Syndrome” among some Republican voters and officials.
“There’s a growing number of people on the right who have a form of TDS called ‘Trump Disappointment Syndrome,’” he said.
“And I think what’s going to happen to the party this fall is they’ve disenfranchised a large portion of that constituency that Trump assembled to get us in the White House, in the Senate majority and in the House majority.”
Massie also criticized Trump’s ballroom, saying it is “dangerous to indulge in these things like a gold-plated ballroom in Washington, D.C., while Americans are suffering” and describing the ballroom as an “egregious waste of money.”
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told The Daily Beast: “President Trump is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican party and he is committed to maintaining Republicans’ majority in Congress to continue delivering wins for the American people,” and credited Trump with sweeping achievements on border security, tax cuts, and crime.
Massie lost his primary last week to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who had the backing of Trump. The president had made Massie a frequent target after he became a vocal critic of the war in Iran and Trump’s handling of the Epstein files, publicly criticizing him on multiple occasions and urging voters to support his opponent.
Still, Massie said his split with Trump was “absolutely worth it for me.”
But other Republicans may not be so optimistic.
Republicans remain heavily dependent on Trump’s political strength, whose deep influence over Republican primary voters gives him outsized control over the party’s direction.
But Trump is currently facing his lowest approval ratings ever.
As a result, veteran Obama strategist David Axelrod told CNN last week that GOP lawmakers are stuck in a difficult position, unable to break from Trump’s MAGA base without risking their political survival, yet struggling to win general elections with him due to his broader unpopularity.
“Here’s the problem for Republicans. They can’t live in the Republican Party without Donald Trump, and they can’t live outside of the Republican Party with Donald Trump because he’s an epically unpopular president who is popular among his own tribe, and his own tribe is not big enough to win elections,” Axelrod said.
“Donald Trump has governed to be president of the Republican Party, to be president of MAGA. This country is bigger than that. So if you’re in a swing district, if you’re in a swing state, you’re kind of in a bind here,” he added.
