President Donald Trump might not be on the ballot in November, but don't kid yourself—he’s preparing to make his presence felt at the voting booth anyway. He's kicking off a series of weekly jaunts to battleground states, starting in Iowa, all aimed at flaunting his economic wins and bolstering Republicans holding the line in the House and Senate.
It’s a risky strategy, indeed. Will it work?
Midterms are tricky, as they’re not only treated as referendums on the sitting president, but they are also historically terrible for the party in power. While many headlines these days focus on immigration enforcement, Trump’s efforts are actually leaning into an issue more likely to matter to midterm voters: the economy.
More specifically, affordability.
Democrats believe this is a winning issue for them, as Americans are still feeling the pain of Bidenflation… and Democrats want voters to blame Trump for Biden’s mess. Remember, in 2024, inflation fears handed Trump and the GOP the White House and Senate control, while keeping the House in their pocket. Democrats crow about their off-year wins last November, pinning it on affordability gripes. Whether that was actually the case or not is debatable, but polls show that Trump’s approval ratings on the economy are underwater.
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The Wall Street Journal pegs his economic approval at 44%, while 54% disapprove. While these numbers aren’t great, the same survey gives congressional Republicans an 11-point advantage over Democrats on handling the economy.
I don’t think Democrats are happy about Trump’s involvement in the midterms either.
“However hard Trump tries to explain away his failing economy, it’s abundantly clear that Americans aren’t buying it, especially in Iowa, where Trump’s policies are raising costs for Iowans, devastating Iowa’s agricultural economy, and destroying thousands of jobs that working Iowans rely on,” DNC Deputy Comms Director Abhi Rahman said in a statement.
Projection. Laughable.
DNC Chair Ken Martin also scoffed at Trump’s plans.
"Trump has historically low approval ratings because he has put America last, sold out working families to hand out favors to billionaires, and made life unaffordable,” Martin said. “Hitting the road will only remind Americans of his failures and force GOP candidates to tie themselves to his cratering presidency."
Reverse psychology. Hilarious.
I don’t think Democrats are happy that Trump is going to be so involved in the midterms. They know he can drive GOP turnout, and that should concern them.
Of course, what will likely matter more than Trump’s battleground tour will be the economy itself. The administration is banking heavily on Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivering on its promises. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking on Fox News on Tuesday, discussed the bill’s benefits and what it will mean for the average American. “It means that President Trump’s policies, that we put in place last year, are really starting to kick in now,” he said.
🚨 BREAKING: Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent just PUT THE FEAR OF GOD into Democrats ahead of midterms!
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) January 27, 2026
The Trump economic BOOM is ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING the so-called “experts”:
• RECORD tax refunds incoming
• 5.4% GDP projections 🔥
• Inflation LOCKED DOWN
• Lowest gas… pic.twitter.com/0MZUeBx8GR
If Bessent’s right, it should be a good year for the GOP. But, make no mistake about it, Trump is definitely making the results of the midterms a verdict on him. Let’s hope it works.
