NewzWASHINGTON (AP) — During his first address to a Republican convention in 2016, Donald Trump had an audacious message to a nation yearning for change: “I alone can fix it.” A decade later and nearing the midpoint of his final term, Trump is still pitching himself as America’s essential repairman. It’s a strategy that’s helped him overcome daunting odds before but now guarantees this year’s midterms will be a referendum on his unpopular presidency. And it previews how difficult it will be for his party to prepare for a future without him as he shows little interest in ceding the stage.
On Thursday, the final night of Republicans’ unusual midterm convention, Trump said he would speak for just a few minutes. Instead he held court for a half hour, repeating many of the points he made in a nearly two-hour speech the previous night, then lingered as balloons dropped from the ceiling and his favorite opera singer serenaded the crowd. “You’ve got to do me a favor,” he implored at one point.
“You’ve got to get out and vote, and you’re going to pretend I’m on the ballot. Because in a way, I’m on the ballot.” That reflects Trump’s central challenge heading into the final stretch of the midterms. No one since Ronald Reagan has galvanized Republicans — and helped attract a broader range of voters to the party — quite like Trump.
But that success only happens when Trump himself is on the ballot. He has repeatedly struggled to translate his personal popularity to success in competitive races when his election is not on the line. During Trump’s first midterms in 2018, Republicans lost 40 seats in the U.S.
When he was off the ballot again in 2022, some of his marquee picks, such as Doug Mastriano for governor in Pennsylvania, lost their races. It’s a vulnerability Trump is well aware of. “There’s no reason for it,” he said of the historic headwinds a president’s party faces in the midterms.
“It’s something deep down and psychological.” Republicans break out their classic moves against Democrats Trump is betting that Republicans can maintain their grip on power by returning to a handful of now familiar moves ranging from depicting political opponents in catastrophic terms to leaning in on culture war issues involving transgender people. A pledge to send every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain control of the House and Senate faces numerous political and financ…
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