Vice President JD Vance arranged a White House luncheon with conservative pollster Mark Mitchell in hopes of convincing Donald Trump that the Republican Party faces significant losses in the 2026 midterm elections. Instead, the president proved largely disengaged, preferring to discuss his golf game rather than address mounting political concerns.
According to the Washington Post, Vance, whose political fortunes are directly tied to Trump's second-term success, invited Mitchell to present data on declining voter support. Mitchell discovered Trump was unresponsive to substantive discussion about the economy and the deteriorating relationship with his MAGA base.
Mitchell told Trump, "You said, 'Fight, fight, fight.' But nobody ever clarified what that means. And right now, you're fight-fight-fighting Marjorie Taylor Greene, and not actually fight-fight-fighting for Americans."
The Post reported that while Trump initially listened and asked questions, he eventually steered the conversation toward golf, one of his preferred topics. "Trump gushed about two of his golf partners, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Fox News host Bret Baier, both of whom are the subject of MAGA-faction ire. Trump also bragged about how much money he had raised during a golf fundraiser for Graham the weekend before," according to the report.
Mitchell, who follows Vance on X and has discussed polling with the vice president in recent months, expressed frustration about the president's priorities in an interview with the Post. He argued that Trump's focus on wealth accumulation undermines his political standing.
"Building billionaire-funded ballrooms and jet-setting around the world and trillion-dollar investment deals looks a lot like oligarchy stuff," Mitchell explained.
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