Some Republicans fear President Donald Trump is "wasting time" touting his signature policy bill from last year, Politico reported on Monday — and they want him to course correct as his polls appear to have the whole party headed for a wipeout.
This comes as Trump tries again to sell his "Big Beautiful Bill" that cut taxes while eliminating over $1 trillion from Medicaid and food assistance over the next decade; a sell that becomes harder as voters are naturally less inclined to trust him.
"With gas prices approaching record levels and Trump’s approval rating hovering around 37 percent, it’s time for Republicans to go scorched earth on Democrats, GOP operatives insist," said the report. "And while Trump has never shied away from blaming the opposition, especially his predecessors, his tendency to deviate from his message — to talk about the new White House ballroom, the reflecting pool or the construction of his 'victory arch' — is muddying the negative message allies insist the White House needs to sell heading into the fall."
One source close to Trump's inner circle told Politico, “Everybody is pretty realistic about the fact that holding the House is going to be extremely difficult. Every day the war goes on, every day gas prices hover around five bucks, it makes it less and less likely, and it’s already very unlikely.”
As a result, Republicans are desperate for Trump to go further on the offensive and do whatever he can to drag Democrats' name through the mud, as their only option left to try to stop the bleeding with voters. "It’s not a particularly new play — campaigns typically go negative closer to the election — but calls for it are happening earlier in the cycle in large part because the Iran war and oil prices are making it hard for the administration to sell a rosy economic picture," noted the report.
Sean Spicer, the controversial former White House press secretary in the first Trump administration, said of the situation, “You might start talking about how they are for open borders or are for higher taxes. Reminding people that’s there’s consequences. You might not like what you have but you’ll hate what they do. The scare tactic is always tried and true. It works.”
