Some Republicans are wary about leaning into President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement heading into the midterms, according to a recent report from NBC News. Why is something that was once a pillar of strength for the party now being avoided?
“Donald Trump’s capacity to both attract and repel American voters creates a dilemma that Republicans are grappling with ahead of the midterm elections,” said NBC News, citing interviews with 19 current and former Republican lawmakers and political operatives. It also said “there’s no easy answer.”
News of the GOP dilemma around Trump news comes as his approval ratings have remained low for weeks, with polls showing that Americans are disappointed with the way he’s handled the economy. Gas prices – which have ballooned to more than $4.50 per gallon on average nationally since Trump announced the U.S. had joined Israel to attack Iran – are an especially weak point for the president right now.
Analyst Harry Enten of CNN said recent polls show that Trump has the lowest approval rating he’s ever seen on gas. Nearly 80% of Americans disapprove of the president on gas prices, he said. That includes 97% of Democrats, 85% of independents and even 52% of Republicans, Enten added.
A new CNN poll this week showed that 70% of Americans agree that Trump is doing a bad job on the economy. That’s “previously unthinkable,” according to the outlet. It noted that the economy was Trump’s “rock” during his first term and that his disproval rating on the economy never even reached 50%.
“Virtually all Democrats (97%) disapprove. But so do a whopping 79% of independents and even 30% of Republicans,” said CNN. “Trump’s disapproval on the economy is now worse than Joe Biden’s or Barack Obama’s ever were,” it said of Trump’s ratings compared to the former presidents.
YouGov noted this week that Trump’s approval rating has been under 40% for two straight months and that his average net approval over the past three weeks of -22 is a record low for his two non-consecutive terms. It’s also the lowest that former President Joe Biden ever averaged across three consecutive weeks.
The Economist’s presidential approval tracker recorded Trump’s approval rating at 36% as of Friday, and its summary called the president “unpopular,” a word that polling expert Nate Sliver also used to describe Trump this week. Both The Economist and Silver cited the economy as the main driver behind Trump’s low approval rating and said it could hurt the GOP in the November midterms.
“Our forecasting model gives Democrats a 19 in 20 chance of winning the House of Representatives. The Senate is a toss-up,” The Economist said. NBC said that Economist/YouGov poll results from this week show that only 25% of independents said they had favorable views of Trump, compared to 46% who voted for him in the 2024 election.
Within the Republican party, the Trump-loyal MAGA faction has become a powerful force, and Trump has been known as a “kingmaker” when he endorses candidates. NBC News noted that the National Republican Congressional Committee even decided to call its midterm campaign program the “MAGA Majority,” back in March.
YouGov said last year that MAGA-identified voters have made up as much as 60% of the GOP. However, it also noted that MAGA had never topped 20% of the overall electorate.
One lawmaker told NBC News that their fellow Republicans were “dubious” about the NRCC’s choice to embrace MAGA heading into the midterms. They said some of the GOP is even “nervous” to lean too hard on MAGA and Trump.
There is already a historical trend of a sitting president’s party falling short in the midterms, adding to the pressure GOP lawmakers are feeling as the elections draw closer. NBC News said that Democrats can gain control over the House of Representatives if they net just three seats in the midterms, while a net of four in the Senate would allow them to overcome Vice President JD Vance’s tiebreaking vote.
“You got to win the midterms, because if we don’t win the midterms, they’ll find a reason to impeach me,” Trump (who has already been impeached twice) told congressional Republicans in January, NBC noted. “I’ll get impeached.”
There was a GOP operative who spoke to NBC and does have a positive view of embracing MAGA in the midterms. They said that having Trump engaged and involved is “critical” to holding on to Republican majorities in Congress.
