President Trump is set to ramp up his appearances on the campaign trail in support of Republicans ahead of next year’s midterms, with the White House and its allies banking on his ability to turn out low-propensity voters.
Trump traveled to Pennsylvania this week for what is expected to be the start of an increasingly busy travel schedule as the calendar turns to 2026. That appearance showcased both the risks and rewards for the GOP in putting Trump front and center: Trump turned out an enthusiastic crowd in a key Pennsylvania county, but his remarks garnered attention for his tirades against immigrants and his dismissive comments about affordability.
There was also a moment during the speech where Trump addressed criticisms that he isn’t doing enough domestic public appearances and was instead too focused on foreign travel. His response was twofold: At first, he insisted those travels brought back investments to the U.S., but he also said there was no reason for him to return to the stump because he had won the election.
“When you win you say, ‘I can now rest,’” Trump said. “So Susie Trump, do you know Susie Trump? Sometimes referred to as Susie Wiles. She’s the great chief of staff. … She said, ‘We have to start campaigning, sir.’”
Republicans agree their best chance of retaining narrow majorities in each chamber of Congress next year is to rely on Trump, who has in the past struggled to transfer his own popularity to other candidates when he’s not on the ballot.
“When President Trump is on the ballot, Republicans tend to do well. When he’s not on the ballot, Republicans don’t do as well,” said Matt Terrill, a Republican strategist who served as chief of staff on Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign.
“He’s able to energize the Republican base and MAGA movement in a way no one else can,” Terrill said. “You also have to win over those independent voters we always talk about, have crossover appeal, and President Trump was able to do that, frankly, in the 2024 general election.”
Trump is expected to make another speech outside of Washington before the end of the year focused on the economy and affordability, according to a White House official, though further details about where he might travel were not immediately available.
The president has thus far mostly focused his travel on foreign policy, making few domestic trips other than to his properties. But White House chief of staff Susie Wiles made clear that will change once the calendar flips to 2026.
“He’s going to campaign like it’s 2024 again,” Wiles said in a recent interview with “The Mom View.”
“He doesn’t help everybody, but for those he does, he’s a difference maker,” Wiles said. “And he certainly is a turnout machine. So the midterms will be very important to us.”
Trump narrowly won the 2016 election, narrowly lost the 2020 election and won the 2024 election by sweeping the seven major battleground states and becoming the first Republican since 2004 to win the popular vote.
But midterm elections have been trickier for Republicans without Trump atop the ballot to help drive turnout. Democrats in 2018 gained 40 seats in the House and swept into the majority. In 2022, with Trump out of office but still endorsing candidates, Democrats managed to expand their Senate majority by one seat and pick up two gubernatorial offices, while Republicans netted just nine House seats to seize a narrow majority.
Trump will also be up against historical trends in that the president’s party tends to lose seats in the midterm elections.
“For whatever reason, and nobody’s been able to give me an answer, when you win the presidency, you seem to lose the midterms,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “Even if you win the presidency by a lot and you do a great job as president. Some presidents have done good and they’ve lost.”
One risk for Trump and Republicans is that more of the president may not necessarily help their case with voters in 2026.
An Associated Press-NORC poll published Thursday found just 31 percent of surveyed adults approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, the lowest mark the poll has found thus far in either of Trump’s two terms in office.
The poll found Trump’s approval rating has also dropped on more reliable issues. Thirty-eight percent of adults approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, down from 49 percent in March, while 43 percent approve of his handling of crime, down from 53 percent in March.
And while Trump is often at his most comfortable and freewheeling while on the stump, that can also lead to problematic soundbites.
He has in recent weeks referred repeatedly to persistent storylines about affordability and the high cost of living as a “con job” perpetuated by Democrats. In his Pennsylvania remarks, Trump dismissed the focus on affordability as a “hoax” and suggested Americans could buy fewer dolls for their children.
The White House has repeatedly pointed to data that shows inflation has come down since Trump took office in January, that gas prices have decreased in recent months and that wages are on pace to increase.
But Trump’s comments have still given an opening to Democrats to argue that the president is out of touch or unwilling to acknowledge the pain of many Americans.
“Donald Trump says affordability is a ‘hoax’ – well try telling that to the American people,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) posted on the social platform X. “Families are struggling to afford groceries, housing, clothes and other goods thanks to Trump’s economic policies. It’s shameful.”
Trump on Wednesday expressed frustration that he has not gotten proper credit for some of his other successes, such as clamping down on illegal crossings at the southern border and brokering ceasefires in multiple foreign conflicts.
But Republican strategists acknowledged next November’s elections will ultimately come down to the same issues that defined the 2024 race and helped put Trump in the White House.
“At the end of the day, it’s good President Trump is solving wars around the world, but it’s going to come down to pocketbook issues,” Terrill said.
