Republicans rocked by Trump’s midterm approach 

Republicans hoping to keep control of Congress in a tough election year have been thrown off-balance by President Trump’s focus on foreign policy, pet projects, and statements dismissing the importance of the midterms and cost-of-living issues.

To be sure, Trump’s team is putting its shoulder into the midterm operations. The president has helped to catapult fundraising and clamp down on primary infighting that could distract from a unified message.

But as Republicans were trying to roll out messaging on tax cuts, Trump’s actions in Iran dominated the headlines and national attention. And Trump in recent weeks has outright said cost of living and keeping control of Congress are not a part of the calculus in his approach to Iran — saying “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation” and “I don’t care about the midterms.”

That’s left some Republicans scratching their heads.

“Of course, that was frustrating,” one GOP operative said. “There is going to be a need to talk about the economy no matter what, because that’s always going to be the top issue.”

Trump’s defenders note the president made the comments in the context of U.S. negotiations with Iran, and Republicans publicly insist his team is active in the 2026 fight.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday that Trump is “absolutely” focused on the midterms. In a three-hour meeting with the president Monday, Johnson said, “we talked about domestic policy almost the entire time.”

“This president is more laser focused and more dialed in on domestic issues here in the homeland than any president in memory,” Johnson said. “He spends more time working on domestic issues in one day than Joe Biden did in four.”

The Republican National Committee (RNC) referred to Trump as “the party’s strongest messenger, biggest turnout driver, and the key to Republican success in the midterms.”

“Since day one, President Trump has relentlessly worked on lowering costs, strengthening the economy, and reversing the inflation........

© The Hill