GOP senators privately call Trump a midterm drag
Fund proposal and voter ID bill create new attack lines as Iran war lifts gas prices, Texas Senate polling tightens
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Republicans in the Senate are reportedly concerned that President Trump is dragging them down heading into the midterms (Reuters)
Reuters
Gas prices remain above pre-war levels, with affordability expected to be a key concern in the midterms (Getty)
Getty
Republican senators are privately describing President Donald Trump as a political liability as the party heads toward the 2026 midterms, according to reporting cited by The Independent. The article points to internal complaints about Trump-backed proposals and to polling that suggests even a Texas Senate race could become competitive.
The immediate dispute is over agenda items that force vulnerable incumbents to defend costs and motives rather than local results. The Independent reports that outgoing senator Thom Tillis criticised Trump’s push for a proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund”, warning it would become a “yoke” that gives Democrats an attack line; the Trump administration has since said the fund is no longer active, while Democratic critics argue that assurance rests on a weak legal footing. Senators are also said to be frustrated by Trump’s repeated demands to pass the SAVE America Act, a restrictive voter ID package that has not passed despite Republicans controlling Congress.
Those fights land as the administration tries to sell an unpopular war and its knock-on effects at home. The Independent notes that Trump’s approval rating is near record lows and that the Iran war remains unpopular, while average gas prices are reported to be nearly one dollar higher than before the conflict began—an issue senators expect to dominate campaign messaging. In that environment, Trump’s habit of endorsing primary challengers against sitting Republicans becomes less a show of strength than a way of spending party resources on intramural conflict.
Texas is used as a signal flare rather than a forecast. The Independent reports that Democrat James Talarico is showing strong numbers against Republican Ken Paxton, with CNN polling analyst Harry Enten describing the polling as the best for Democrats in a Texas Senate race since the 20th century. The piece also describes Paxton as “scandal-riven”, a reminder that candidate quality can matter more when national politics turns a statewide contest into a referendum on Washington.
The White House and the National Republican Senatorial Committee did not respond to requests for comment, The Independent reports.
For now, the party’s midterm planning is being shaped by questions it cannot answer in a whip count: how long fuel prices stay elevated, and how many Senate candidates want to run with Trump on the ticket.