The Republican Party , led by President Donald Trump, is facing an uphill task in the 2026 midterm election as Trump’s approval ratings touch an all-time low.
Coupled with recent losses for several Trump-supported candidates in the GOP primaries, many believe that the prospects for the party are far from ideal as they head into the November polls. The anxiety about the GOP midterm strategy was evident on day one of Trump’s Dallas Republican convention. Styled as a grand, two-day Trump rally headlined by the President himself and VP JD Vance , the rally aimed to bring the GOP candidates under one roof and get them to rally behind Trump.
The desperation is evident, particularly on the part of Trump, who has made the GOP midterm strategy “all about himself” despite the ratings of his performance being at a record low.
The two offerings, one coming back-to-back, were interpreted by many as Trump’s last-ditch attempt to win over voters amid plummeting approval ratings. Almost all polls show the drastic fall in approval of the President’s performance – the cornerstone of the GOP midterm strategy. But as of September 10, Trump’s approval rating on Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin sits at -19.5, which the pollster describes as “far from popular. The CNN poll places it at an all-time low of 35%. Meanwhile, the YouGov survey shows that back in January 2025, the verdict on the president was divided 50-50 among registered voters, with around 49% approving and 51% disapproving. But in September 2026, the figures have tilted significantly. As of September 10, only 37.8% approve of Trump’s performance while 60.3% disapprove, according to YouGov. Thus, as the announcement on $5000 cash payment and the $500 Medicare rebate came – it sparked negative reactions.
Even as he keeps himself at the center of the GOP’s ”bizarre and risky” midterm strategy, according to CNN analyst Stephen Collinson . “I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot,” Trump said Wednesday night from the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas, Texas.
