Five months before the midterm elections, Republicans have a problem. His name is Donald Trump.
The president’s self-indulgent streak has deepened GOP fears that he is risking losses in November, according to a New York Times report published Monday. One retiring Republican senator put it bluntly: “The stupid stuff is killing our chances.”
Trump, who thrives on loyalty and controls the party’s base, seems focused on virtually anything other than keeping Republican control of Congress. His personal grievances. His controversial spending priorities. His willingness to endorse risky challengers over established incumbents. His dismissal of rising gas prices as insignificant.
And for Republicans already nervous about their slim majorities, the timing could not be worse.
The Senate’s Frustration Boils Over
The quote that captures the moment comes from a retiring Republican senator, as reported by the Times: “The stupid stuff is killing our chances.”
That senator is not alone. Multiple GOP officials have privately expressed frustration that Trump’s Trump-first agenda is undermining the party’s ability to campaign on the issues that matter to voters — inflation, immigration, and the economy.
Instead, Trump has been preoccupied with projects that do little to help down-ballot Republicans. His expensive new White House ballroom. His $1.8 billion fund to pay people who claim they were victims of “weaponization,” including those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. His public feuds with GOP lawmakers who dare to criticize him.
Republicans know that their party’s fate rests with the president. Yet they also know there is not much any of them can do to make him help them.
The Approval Problem
Trump’s overall approval rating has slumped to an all-time low, leaving congressional Republicans alarmed at their fall prospects. The economy remains the top concern for voters, and on that front, the numbers are brutal.
Gas prices have risen sharply. Consumer sentiment has fallen. Inflation has not been tamed. And Trump has been dismissive, reportedly waving off spiking prices at the pump as “peanuts” compared to what he is pursuing abroad — particularly the war in Iran.
For Republicans running in competitive districts, defending Trump’s economic record is becoming impossible. For Trump, defending his own record seems to be a secondary priority.
The Self-Indulgence Factor
The Times report highlights a key dynamic. In his second term, Trump has surrounded himself with loyalists who mostly acquiesce to his impulses. The institutional guardrails that once kept him in check are weakened or gone.
That has freed Trump to focus on his pet projects. His face on passports and currency. His name on federal buildings. His ballroom. His fund for allies. His endorsements of candidates who may be unelectable in November.
Republican pollster Whit Ayres, quoted in the Times, noted that if Trump’s highest goal were to maintain control of Congress, “he would not be doing what he is doing.”
The Texas Gamble
One of the most striking examples is Texas. Trump endorsed a MAGA-aligned challenger to the state’s senior Republican senator, ignoring warnings that he could endanger a once-safe seat. Republicans now fear they may have to pour tens of millions of dollars into defending a seat that should have been secure.
That is not a strategy for keeping the Senate. It is a strategy for settling personal scores.
The Bottom Line
Republicans are terrified. The president is focused on his own priorities — his ballroom, his fund for January 6 defendants, his endorsement of risky challengers — instead of helping his party keep control of Congress. His approval rating is at an all-time low. Gas prices are up. Consumer sentiment is down. And one retiring Republican senator summed up the party’s fears in seven words: “The stupid stuff is killing our chances.”
The midterms are five months away. Trump shows no sign of changing course. And the party that controls both the White House and Congress is staring at the possibility of losing both — because their own president won’t stop doing the one thing that could cost them everything.
