A seasoned Republican strategist has delivered a brutal assessment of Donald Trump’s electoral strategy in an appearance on Fox News.
Karl Rove, a former senior aide to President George W. Bush, said Trump, 80, should be concerned that he is dragging down the Republican vote.
“The president says, ‘pretend I’m on the ballot,’” Rove said during a Saturday appearance on The Journal Editorial Report.
“With an approval rating in the mid-30s, pretending that he’s on the ballot appeals to the people who are already strongly in his corner and likely to turn out.”
But that’s not who Republicans need to worry about, Rove argued. Instead, he said, it’s the voters who went for Trump in 2024 and are now regretting it.
Trump’s approval rating has tanked since the beginning of his war on Iran. The rising cost of living and record-high gas prices have caused consternation and disquiet among voters who are struggling to make ends meet.
The president has largely failed to acknowledge the cost-of-living pressures, which can be largely attributed to his war in Iran and his tariff crusade.
At the same time, Trump has made more than $1 billion during his second term in office, enriching himself and his family.
Rove said people have noticed, and they’re not happy about it.
“This time around, that group of people are disinclined to participate, because of the effect of his policies, by their feelings on affordability, on their sense of the economy, on the unpopularity of the war, and by his personal message,” Rove continued.
He then took aim at the content of Trump’s style of speech.
“[The speech] is not about what am I going to do to make your future better, it’s not even a particularly effective message attacking the Democrats, it’s just having another show at a big rally in which he says something that dominates the news, that is not central to the election,” Rove said.
A resident of Austin, Texas, Rove singled out Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico as an example of how badly Trump’s message is playing.
“He is a very left-wing Democrat and to be able to win in Texas speaks volumes to the quality of his Republican opponent and sort of the general angst about where the country is going under the president,” he said.
Talarico’s Trump-backed opponent is scandal-plagued state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is polling between 3 and 4 points behind Talarico in the most recent polls.
There’s no love lost between Rove and Trump. Earlier this month Trump lashed out at Rove on Truth Social, blaming him and Texas Senator John Cornyn for Paxton’s troubles.
Cornyn was ousted from his seat in the primaries by Trump-backed Paxton.
“Sadly, and very stupidly, John Cornyn, and his Liddle’ Buddy, Super RINO, Karl Rove, are doing everything possible to make it hard for Ken Paxton, the Greatest Attorney General in the History of Texas, and one of the Best in the United States, to win the upcoming Midterm Election against a Radical Left Lunatic, James TalaFREAKO, who is the ANTITHESIS of Texas Values,” Trump’s screed began.
The post appeared to be an attempt to frame a loss as the fault of an embittered former Senator, and not the responsibility of a widely disliked and controversial candidate.
Rove also announced he was switching sides in one race this election season, declaring in The Wall Street Journal that he would be voting for the Democrat running for the Texas Railroad Commission, only the second time he’s ever voted blue.
The White House referred the Daily Beast to the Republican National Committee when contacted for comment.
“The president is delivering in areas Republicans need to turn out the vote,” RNC National Press Secretary Natalie Baldassarre said.
“Midterms are a turnout game, and anyone who denies that the president’s rallies have boosted support for our Republican candidates is cosplaying as a Republican strategist.”
