President Donald Trump’s frantic midterm campaigning may have done more harm than good, according to a new poll.
Data gathered by the Daily Mail/Ipsos revealed Tuesday that 55 percent of registered voters think that the 80-year-old president has hurt GOP candidates’ chances. Amongst Republican voters, just 48 percent thought he had helped.
Trump hit the road ahead of Tuesday’s vote in a desperate bid to shore up cherry-red strongholds he has reliably counted on in the past.
The road trip came in response to conservatives’ fears about a blue wave that polling and broader narratives suggested could wash away one or both of the GOP’s congressional majorities.
He has also stumped for several GOP candidates in high-profile races, including Ken Paxton’s Senate race in Texas and Darline Graham’s surprisingly tight battle for South Carolina.
Moreover, around 60 percent of independents think he has hurt the Republican cause, according to data tracking responses through November 1.
On the flip side, of the 810 registered voters asked in the three-day survey, just 20 percent said he had helped. Meanwhile, 21 percent of Republican voters thought he had hurt the cause.
Trump’s campaign has centered on consolidation, rather than combatively trying to take from the Democrats amid fears of a big blue wave. Trump is not on the ballot this year, sparking further concerns about poor turnout among Republican voters.
In the new poll, 23 percent of respondents thought Trump was neither hindering nor helping Republicans. 48 percent said they expected to see Democratic gains in the House, compared to just 24 percent who felt the same way about the GOP.
If it does turn out to be as bad for Trump as some fear, it will make for an intriguing final two years of his presidency.
“The president really won’t give a f--- after November and will be focused solely on his legacy,” one GOP strategist told The Washington Sun.
If Trump finds himself in a lame-duck scenario, insiders told the same outlet that they believe he will focus on legacy projects, such as the so-called beautification of Washington, D.C.
GOP insiders also worry Democrats may use any newfound congressional majorities to launch investigations into the Trump administration, according to the same report.
If that happens, Trump previously told the Washington Sun that he intends to go heavy on vetoes and pardons.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
