President Trump is set to ramp up his appearances on the campaign trail in support of Republicans ahead of next year\u2019s midterms, with the White House and its allies banking on his ability to turn out low-propensity voters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/u><\/a> about affordability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was also a moment during the speech where Trump addressed criticisms that he isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen you win you say, \u2018I can now rest,\u2019\u201d Trump said. \u201cSo Susie Trump, do you know Susie Trump? Sometimes referred to as Susie Wiles. She\u2019s the great chief of staff. \u2026 She said, \u2018We have to start campaigning, sir.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2019s not on the ballot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen President Trump is on the ballot, Republicans tend to do well. When he\u2019s not on the ballot, Republicans don\u2019t do as well,\u201d said Matt Terrill, a Republican strategist who served as chief of staff on Secretary of State Marco Rubio\u2019s\u2002<\/u><\/a>2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s able to energize the Republican base and MAGA movement in a way no one else can,\u201d Terrill said. \u201cYou 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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\u2002<\/u><\/a>made clear that will change once the calendar flips to 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to campaign like it\u2019s 2024 again,\u201d Wiles said in a recent interview with \u201cThe Mom View.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe doesn\u2019t help everybody, but for those he does, he\u2019s a difference maker,\u201d Wiles said. \u201cAnd he certainly is a turnout machine. So the midterms will be very important to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump will also be up against historical trends in that the president\u2019s party tends to lose seats in the midterm elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor whatever reason, and nobody\u2019s been able to give me an answer, when you win the presidency, you seem to lose the midterms,\u201d Trump told reporters on Wednesday. \u201cEven if you win the presidency by a lot and you do a great job as president. Some presidents have done good and they\u2019ve lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One risk for Trump and Republicans is that more of the president may not necessarily help their case with voters in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n