President Donald Trump has spent years publicly punishing Republicans who cross him, but now he is holding his fire as vulnerable GOP candidates distance themselves from his policies ahead of the November midterms.
Politico reported that the White House has shifted into triage mode six weeks before Election Day, and it is tolerating dissent from Republicans in tight races as long as they criticize the administration's policies and not Trump himself – an arrangement described by a former administration official as a "safe space."
"They criticize staff. They criticize implementation," the former official said. "It hasn't been 'Trump failed' or 'Trump's wrong.'"
Some campaigns are warning the White House before they break with the president. "More often times than not, a candidate or an elected official will call the White House and ask how to do it, because they are not interested in going against the president," a person familiar with the White House's thinking told Politico.
That restraint is a sharp change for a president known for demanding loyalty. Several Republican senators have criticized his handling of Iran and immigration enforcement without being rebuked in public. When Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) released an ad speaking directly to Trump about his immigration crackdown, the president phoned her instead of attacking her on Truth Social.
The administration is also reportedly considering policy moves to help endangered Republicans.
One move is a 90-day ban on diesel exports, which Trump has said he favors. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has warned the ban wouldn't work and could push gas and jet fuel prices higher, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also oppose it. Diesel averages $6.51 a gallon, according to AAA, up from $3.69 a year ago.
Officials are also looking at scaling back Trump's August plan to increase foreign beef imports, which angered ranchers.
White House officials called the diesel and beef reporting "fake news." Spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement that Trump "is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party."
Trump's approval rating has sunk to record lows, and Republicans are now defending seats in states the president won by double digits in 2024. Recent polls show Iowa Senate candidate Ashley Hinson and Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan trailing their Democratic opponents outside the margin of error, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is running even with Democrat James Talarico.
Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former Trump appointee, told Politico that many of the administration's policies "are not just unpopular or ineffective, but they have backfired."
"Every Republican I talk with thinks there is a slim chance things get any better — but huge concern they could get significantly worse," Bartlett said.
