President Donald Trump said last week that he believes that some voters may be less enthusiastic to vote for Republicans in the midterms because he isn’t on the ballot.
“They’re angry at Republicans,” Trump told Punchbowl News in an interview that aired on Aug. 7. “But they’re not angry at me. They’re not angry at me, but they are angry at Republicans.”
The president was commenting on the GOP’s prospects ahead of the November elections, noting that an incumbent president tends to lose seats in Congress during the midterms.
Trump has a significant war chest ahead of the midterms; his super PAC, MAGA Inc., has raised hundreds of millions of dollars as of June. The president said he will use that money to help Republicans in the upcoming elections.
The biggest issue that Republicans face in 2026, he said, is that he’s not on the ballot.
“I said to somebody, ‘Wait a minute, you don’t understand, I won,’” Trump told the outlet, also referencing his 2024 presidential election victory. “I’m not campaigning.”
The president added that “if I don’t run, will those people go out and vote? And that’s the one thing I can’t tell, I’m going to ask them to.”
A Decision Desk HQ polling average shows that Democrats are “somewhat favored” over Republicans to retake the House of Representatives, with three months to go before the elections. The GOP is slightly favored to retain the Senate, according to the pollsters cited in an article in July.
When asked about the prospect of Democrats capturing the House in the election, the president said that he would still back House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) if the GOP lost the majority.
“I don’t think there’s even a thought of anybody challenging him,” Trump told the outlet.
Meanwhile, Trump had a rare word of praise for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who could be elected as speaker if Republicans lose. “I think he’s a nice guy. I mean, I did. He was here. Yeah, we had a good meeting,” Trump said.
“I think the Republicans are too nice,” Trump also remarked. “Actually, I think the Republicans are much nicer. I think the Republicans are much more gentle than the Democrats.”
Democrats also have their own problems, he added, saying that Americans “don’t want communists;” an apparent reference to democratic socialist candidates who have won primaries.
And while Trump has publicly clashed with some Republicans in Congress, namely over the SAVE America Act that would overhaul elections, he has taken to the campaign trail to increase enthusiasm among GOP voters before the elections.
Last week, Trump spoke at an event in Nevada to highlight the “no taxes on tips” provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed last year.
During that speech, Trump focused his attention on democratic socialist-aligned candidates who have won Democratic primaries. Democratic socialists, he said, represent the creeping threat of communism and threaten to destroy the American way of life.
“I think it’s the greatest threat,” he said.
