GOP strategist spots damning detail in Trump's Time story: 'Tells you what the problem is'

A GOP strategist spotted a damning detail included in President Donald Trump's new Time Magazine cover story during a CNN panel Thursday.

Doug Heye, a veteran House and Senate Republican communications strategist, told CNN's Kasie Hunt on "The Arena" that Trump's wide-ranging interview with Time included one problematic detail - the cover photo was shot on the president's new helipad. While Trump may be proud of the helipad, Heye argued that it is a symbol of how far off course the Trump administration has wandered as the consequential 2026 midterm elections rapidly approach.

"The cover of Time Magazine tells us exactly what the problem is," Heye said. "What do we see? We see his helipad."

Trump has promised to campaign with Republicans as if he is on the midterm ballots in an effort to boost GOP turnout. However, some Republicans have privately expressed consternation with that plan because of Trump's sinking popularity.

Some candidates, like Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, have scrubbed mentions of Trump from their campaign websites to distance themselves from the president.

To Heye, Trump's focus on the helipad sends the wrong message to voters ahead of the midterms, many of whom are chiefly concerned with the rising cost of living across America.

"So, we spent a couple of days on the helipad, the Kennedy Center, and Karl Rove talked about the reflecting pool and all these other ancillary stories where Trump could be saying, 'Here's what we've done to lower prices, and here's what we're going to do in the future,'" Heye said. "And instead, he focuses on these just bizarro world issues that just don't connect with voters."