Trump Reveals Secret Weapon to Save GOP From Midterm Wipeout

According to press reports, Donald Trump’s plan to spare the Republican Party a crushing defeat in the midterm elections involves turning the November vote into a referendum on himself.

The president hopes to leverage the substantial financial resources—totaling $400 million—available to his “Super PAC,” dubbed “MAGA Inc.,” to fund a series of television ads touting the supposed achievements of his second term, thereby giving Republican candidates a much-needed boost.

Sources revealed to The Atlantic magazine that Trump outlined his intentions to play an active role in Republican election campaigns during an Oval Office meeting earlier this month. However, some Republican strategists question the viability of such a strategy, given Trump’s sharp drop in popularity—particularly regarding issues that concern voters, such as the economy.

“When the issues that you typically campaign on don’t move voters—or voters are p—ed off at you about those issues—the question becomes: What do you campaign on?” one person familiar with the Oval Office meeting told the outlet.

The Republican Party is widely expected to lose control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, driven by the backlash against Trump’s second term and the party’s razor-thin majority in the chamber.

Furthermore, the cost-of-living crisis affecting tens of millions of Americans—exacerbated by tariffs imposed by Trump and an unpopular war in Iran—raises the possibility that Democrats could seize control of the Senate in the November vote.

Trump’s plan to fund a series of television ads—highlighting the improving economy, a drop in fentanyl-related deaths, and a tough immigration policy—comes as the president has long been frustrated that his supposed achievements are not reflected in polls or voter perception.

The president even asked participants at an Oval Office meeting to find videos of him touting his own record, to serve as models for the ad content.

The Atlantic quoted a source reporting the president’s words: “Go look at that footage; I’m constantly talking about my accomplishments.”

One major obstacle Trump faces is this: even if he tells voters the economy is improving by pointing to rising stock market indices, Americans won’t necessarily feel that improvement when shopping for groceries or filling up their gas tanks.

This is a problem similar to the one faced by former President Joe Biden—whose term was marked by the highest inflation rates in decades and a surge in fuel prices—as well as the challenge Barack Obama faced during his first term in the wake of the 2008 financial collapse.

“You can’t go in playing ‘It’s Christmas Time’ when that’s the last holiday they can afford,” Rahm Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor who worked in both the Obama and Biden administrations, told The Atlantic of Trump’s midterm plans. “They’re going to put you on mute.”

Although any midterm election is viewed, to some extent, as a referendum on the ruling party’s record, Trump has made it clear just how much he wants the November election results to reflect on him personally; He did so on Friday at a rally in support of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.

“What I really want you to do is pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just come and vote. It’s so important,” Trump told the crowd. “Just say that I’m on the ballot one more time.”

In a statement, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wells said that Trump was working to “repair the damage left by Joe Biden” through his midterm election strategy.

Ms. Wells added: “There is a great story to tell, because the United States of America has never been stronger than under his leadership.”