Republican strategists in the nation's most competitive Senate and House races are quietly fuming this week as President Donald Trump prepares to headline a campaign rally in a state that poses no threat to GOP control of Congress.
Trump is set to appear Friday in Myrtle Beach to stump for Sen. Darline Graham in deep-red South Carolina, marking a rare, full-throated return to the campaign trail, in a move stands in sharp contrast to the president's approach in states where Republican control of Congress could actually hinge on the outcome, reported Politico.
In Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin and Nevada, Trump's involvement has largely been limited to social media posts, telerallies or official White House events loosely tied to campaigns.
"It's like he's just flying over them and ignoring them," said Randy Page, a South Carolina Republican operative backing Graham's opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman, arguing Trump's political capital would be better spent near Georgia and North Carolina, or in Texas.
One anonymous GOP operative working on battleground races put it more bluntly, questioning whether Trump would extend the same energy elsewhere: "Does he want to? Does he care enough?"
State Rep. Jordan Pace, also a Norman supporter, said the president's focus was badly misplaced. "Michigan and Ohio and Alaska, Maine and Texas are all at risk of losing to the Democrats," Pace said. "That's where the money and the attention should be."
Trump's allies say the South Carolina trip is less about electoral math and more personal, rooted in his close relationship with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose sister Darline is fighting to keep his seat. Her campaign, still recovering from an awkward debate-stage admission that she was "not that informed" on Taiwan policy, is eager to capitalize on the in-person boost.
The White House dismissed concerns that Trump is neglecting battleground states, with spokesperson Olivia Wales calling him the "unequivocal leader" of the party.
Still, with roughly $400 million sitting in Trump's MAGA Inc. war chest and control of Congress at stake, battleground Republicans are left watching South Carolina and wondering when, or if, their turn will come.