'We're gonna do very well.' Trump says of midterm uphill battle
Kinsey Crowley- President Donald Trump said, “I think we're gonna do very well," when discussing the historical precedent of midterms elections.
- Presidents' parties usually lose Congress seats in the midterm elections.
- Trump has an average approval rating of 38%-40%.
President Donald Trump portrayed confidence in Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, despite the historical precedent.
The midterms are often seen as a referendum on the presidency, and few presidents have seen their parties gain ground in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. Trump has acknowledged the historical trend in the past, casting it as a mystery of a phenomenon.
Trump seemed prepared for his party to defy the odds in an interview with Fox News' "Sunday Night In America With Trey Gowdy," on Aug. 30. Gowdy posed the possibility of impeachment movements against Trump if Democrats win back control of Congress this fall, and asked Trump what he planned to do with his last two years in office if Republicans retain control.
"For some reason, the voters tend to go the other way. I think we're gonna do very well," Trump said, going on to criticize Democrats and call the opposing candidates communists. "I'm gonna take a lot of time, and I'm going to help people get elected, if I can."
Trump has been leaning into campaigning for Republicans in hotly contested races around the country, despite his historically low approval ratings. He also theorized Republicans would not do as well without his name on the ballot, encouraging voters to "pretend (he's) on the ballot."
Trump did not answer the original question of his plans for the rest of his second term if Republicans keep control, as seen in the clip by Fox News.
How many seats did Republicans lose in the midterms in Trump’s first term?
In the 2018 midterm elections during Trump's first term, Republicans lost 41 House seats and gained two Senate seats, according to the American Presidency Project. (In the 2022 midterms under former President Joe Biden, Democrats lost nine House seats and won one Senate seat.)
What is Donald Trump's approval rating?
Trump's average approval rating has been net negative since April of his first year back in office and fluctuating since. Here is Trump's average approval rating as of Aug. 31, according to aggregators:
- RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 39.9% approve, 56.7% disapprove
- New York Times: 38% approve, 58% disapprove
- Silver Bulletin: 38.4% approve, 58.4% disapprove
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her onX (Twitter),Threads,Bluesky andTikTok.