President Donald Trump has dug himself into a “political hole” so deep that it appears to be limiting where he holds his October midterm rallies, Punchbowl News reported Monday.
Trump has already rallied in 12 states since the beginning of October, and this week is slated to visit five more: Kansas, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. As flagged by Punchbowl News, however, the districts Trump is visiting this week all have a “throughline.”
“Every single one of these stops comes in safe Republican House districts. This means (mostly) Trump-friendly crowds,” Punchbowl News’ report reads.
While Trump has largely campaigned in safe Republican districts this month, he’s still drawn hecklers and protesters to his rallies, including one woman wearing a shirt bearing the message “RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES” who was attacked by rally attendees. And, with his next five stops all in Trump-friendly districts, it appears Trump is visiting states with competitive Senate races while avoiding the House districts that will decide control of the chamber.
“The reality is that in the most competitive districts around the country, Trump hasn’t been seen — except for TV ads. And there are good reasons for that,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “A series of major surveys out this weekend show the depth of the political hole that Trump and Republicans find themselves in.”
That’s a far cry from what Trump promised House Republicans. At a Sept. 2 Rose Garden dinner, he said he would spend the “final 30 days” visiting “35 places” to “see if we can get everyone elected,” and asked Speaker Mike Johnson to give him names, Punchbowl noted.
Trump’s approval among Americans has fallen to career lows amid his deeply unpopular war against Iran, which has sent fuel prices soaring. An influx of surveys published this weekend shows that the president’s standing among Americans has only worsened.
The Financial Times reported Trump’s approval rating on the economy to be 28%, and AP-NORC at what Punchbowl News described as a “shockingly low” 26%.
“This is blowout territory on the biggest issue by far for voters,” Punchbowl News’ report reads.