A high-profile conservative analyst claimed during a podcast interview on Monday that President Donald Trump is creating "vulnerabilities" for Republicans because of his sinking approval rating.
Bill Kristol, editor-at-large for The Bulwark, discussed Trump's approval ratings during a new episode of "The Bulwark Podcast" with host Tim Miller. He warned that Trump's handling of the economy and the dangers he faces from renewed pressure to release the Jeffrey Epstein files could cause Republicans massive headaches in the 2026 midterm election.
"There's some chunk of the Trump coalition, both the sort of normie Republicans out there who just look around what is all this with the ballroom and the gold at the White House, and he's old and he's falling asleep and it's all about him," Kristol said. "He's not watching out for us. Some of this is tariffs, etc. Some combination of that and Epstein and other issues, where there seems to be more vulnerability."
Kristol noted that Trump's approval rating has sunk eight points since he took office in January. According to estimates by The Economist, Trump's approval rating stood at 39% as of Nov. 17.
Kristol added that the midterm election "looks bad" for Republicans if Trump's approval rating sinks to 38% or lower.