At least one adviser to President Donald Trump isn’t buying the president’s claim that midterm election polling is “fake.”
Trump is broadly unpopular with voters, and polls consistently show Democrats comfortably ahead on the generic congressional ballot.
Some Republican seats once considered safely in GOP hands are now in play, and Republicans are widely expected to lose their narrow House majority. The Senate could potentially be at risk as well.
On Monday, CNN reported that the mood inside Trump’s inner circle has soured as GOP candidates openly break with the president.
One Trump adviser offered a blunt assessment to the outlet.
“It’s obviously going to be f***ing rough,” the adviser told CNN.
According to the adviser, the best Republicans can hope for is a reverse repeat of the 2022 midterms. In that election, Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress and narrowly lost the House while holding onto the Senate.
Despite the gloomy outlook, the president appears ready to put himself front and center in the fight.
Last month, The Atlantic reported that Trump would direct his MAGA Inc. super PAC to produce ads featuring himself. The strategy is aimed at turning the midterms into a referendum on his presidency.
One official told CNN the president plans to be highly active on the campaign trail in the weeks ahead.
“He’ll be playing hard in Florida, Texas, Michigan and Ohio — he’ll be on the road just about every day in October campaigning,” the official said. “We’re leaving it all on the table.”
The White House also plans to send Vice President JD Vance to campaign for candidates in swing states and districts. However, CNN reported that the move comes with a certain amount of risk.
According to the report, the White House and the president’s political operation see Vance as a crucial surrogate who tends to stay far more on message than the president.
Still, the campaign doesn’t view the vice president as an ace card to play in truly competitive territory, CNN reported, because he is still seen as an extension of Trump.
Sources familiar with the discussions told CNN that both Trump and Vance are viewed as potentially doing more harm than good in certain swing districts.
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