Political insiders are sounding the alarm about deepening Republican anxiety heading into the 2026 midterm elections, with GOP operatives describing a party struggling to find a winning message as President Trump's unpopularity reaches new lows.

Jackie Kucinich, Washington Bureau Chief at The Boston Globe, offered a blunt assessment of the current Republican predicament: "Republicans are freaked out." And as evidence, she added, "Watch how they're spending their money."

The GOP's spending patterns tell the story, according to the journalist. In Ohio—a state Trump has carried three times—Republicans have allocated $79 million just this month to defend the Senate seat against Democrat Sherrod Brown, a signal of how vulnerable the party perceives the race, she said.

"Ohio, which has been a pretty solidly red state. Now, you have Republicans really shelling out money there because they're worried about this senate race, as they should be," Kucinich explained, citing rising energy and cost-of-living concerns in the state.

The core problem facing Republicans, according to journalist and MS NOW host Eugene Daniels, is a fundamental lack of accomplishments to campaign on. "The White House and Congress have to give the rest of their party, the people in Congress, something to run on," he stated.

Daniels also emphasized that "every single day, Donald Trump says something that makes it harder for Republicans," creating a self-inflicted crisis for the party.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro snapped at CNN’s Jake Tapper Sunday after the host read aloud an excerpt from the manifesto reportedly penned by the suspected gunman who disrupted the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCD) last month, an excerpt that appeared to label the president as a “p-------- r-----.”

Identified as 31-year-old California resident Cole Tomas Allen, the suspected gunman was captured on video rushing through a Secret Service checkpoint at the WHCD, where President Donald Trump was widely reported to be in attendance. Though the suspect didn’t mention Trump by name in his supposed manifesto, Pirro said it was “very clear” that the president was the "intended target.”

“You alluded to the target being clear by the manifesto – the only name in the manifesto is Kash Patel, which he says Kash Patel is not a target,” Tapper said. “I want to apologize for using this language, but he does say 'I am no longer willing to permit a p-------- r----- and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.'”

Pirro winced as Tapper uttered the word “p---------,” cocking her head to the side, opening her mouth as if to respond, and reaching for her mug resting beside her.

“First of all, that's outrageous – I mean, there's a lot of other things you could have referred to!” Pirro said. “This guy is a hater, he hates Trump so much he wants to kill him!”