NEW YORK (AP) — Almost two weeks since the Republican Party’s crushing defeat. in the election In Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, many Republican leaders say there is nothing wrong with the party’s policies, message or president. donald trump’s leadership.
President Trump says Democrats and media are misleading voters Worried about high costs and economy. Republican officials looking to avoid further defeats in next fall’s midterm elections are encouraging candidates to fully embrace the president and talk more about his accomplishments.
These are the key talking points from a series of private conversations, briefings and public meetings involving key Republican decision makers from across Washington, including inside the White House, following the Republican defeat on November 4th. Their assessment underscores the extent to which the Republican Party’s fate is tied to Mr. Trump, a term-limited president. economy It has never been more powerful under his watch.
This is despite a growing number of voters reporting a different reality in their lives.
But with a few exceptions, Mr. Trump’s lieutenants who lead the party’s political strategy have no intention of challenging Mr. Trump’s aspirations or beliefs.
“Going into next year, the Republican Party will be more united behind President Trump than ever before,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Pels said. “The parties are fully united behind the America First policy and the results he has delivered for the American people. President Trump’s policies are popular and are driving turnout, and supporting him is the strongest path to victory.”
But Mr. Trump’s confirmation is similar to that of former Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican President George W. Bush at the same point in their terms. Their party suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections.
President Trump insists there is no affordability issue
Since the election, the White House has quietly decided to change its message to one that focuses more on affordability.
Much of the first year of Trump’s second term has been dominated by trade wars, crackdowns on illegal immigration, and deportation decisions. national guard troops American cities and longest government shutdown in the history of the United States.
Trump has spoken more about affordability since Election Day. Friday, he lower tariffs About beef and other products that consumers say are too expensive. But President Trump’s main message is that the economy is doing better than the media is reporting, and consumer prices are falling. That’s much the same message Democratic President Joe Biden and his allies have been pushing for years with little success.
In a social media post Friday, President Trump said costs were “going down.”
“Affordability is a lie and a complete fraud when used by Democrats,” Trump wrote. “Under Crooked Joe, Thanksgiving costs 25% less this year than last year! We are the affordable party!”
A few days ago, he claimed on Fox News that “we have the greatest economy in history.”
President Trump’s numbers on the cost of Thanksgiving dinner It’s off. The price of food is 2.7% higher than in 2024.
Economic concerns were voters’ top concern in this month’s election, according to an Associated Press voter poll.
Republican strategist Doug Hay said Trump’s approach is not necessarily helpful to Republicans and their candidates, who already face a difficult political environment in 2026, when voters will decide the balance of power in Congress. Historically, the party that occupies the White House suffers significant losses in non-presidential elections.
“Republicans need to tell voters that we understand what they’re going through and we’re going to fix it,” Hay said. “That might be difficult to do because when the president brings a non-metaphorical wrecking ball into parts of the White House, it’s going to distract a lot of attention in Washington and the media.”
“Candidates cannot afford to be distracted,” Hay added. “As we saw in recent elections, especially in Virginia, if you’re not talking about what the voters are talking about, they’re going to ignore you.”
Perspectives from major gubernatorial races
The reality in Washington’s suburbs suggests that not all Republican candidates share Mr. Trump’s outlook.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican leader who began campaigning for governor last week, said there is no question affordability is the biggest issue for voters. She also downplayed the party’s focus on conservative cultural priorities, including transgender athletes, which were a top priority for Republicans in the recent Virginia gubernatorial race.
“Certainly I support women’s and girls’ sports and protect them, but as you’ll see in all of our messaging, we’re focused on the top issues. All of our conversations with voters are about high taxes and spending and unaffordability,” Stefanik told The Associated Press.
She offered a nuanced view of President Trump’s leadership, unwilling to criticize his major policies or governing decisions, but also unwilling to suggest that the party is completely united behind him.
Asked about her party’s support for Trump, Stefanik said of New York’s Democratic governor, “I think our party is completely united in removing Kathy Hochul.” “I am committed to providing for New Yorkers and putting New Yorkers first.”
Stefanik said it was important for the governor to have an “effective working relationship” with Trump, but declined to say whether he supports Trump’s move to send the National Guard to New York City, as he has threatened. “If we had a Republican governor, we wouldn’t have had to do that,” she said.
Stefanik’s comments reflect the challenges ahead for Republican candidates running in a difficult political climate.
rebellious argument
The Republican National Committee, the political arm of President Trump’s White House, issued a series of talking points dismissing recent election losses as a byproduct of Democratic voter dominance in states where top elections were held.
The talking points obtained by The Associated Press ignore Republican losses in Georgia and Pennsylvania. They also exaggerate Trump’s political power, claiming he is more popular than his contemporaries Obama and Bush.
This claim has been repeated across conservative media in recent days.
An Associated Press poll analysis found that Mr. Trump’s approval rating is no higher than that of Mr. Obama or Mr. Bush at similar points in their second terms.
President Trump’s approval rating is 36% in November poll Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center Slightly higher than at this point in the first term. However, according to Gallup polls, approval ratings for Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush are in the low 40% range at this point in their second terms, similar to Mr. Trump’s ranking in the most recent Gallup poll conducted in October.
For Obama and Bush, their parties suffered major losses in the ensuing midterm elections.
But the Republican message Trump’s team has crafted is one that doubles down on support for the president and his policies.
RNC Talking Points says the recent election “was not a referendum on President Trump, Congressional Republicans, or the MAGA agenda.” To win in 2026, “Make America Great Again” voters “need to come to the ballot box, and President Trump and the Republican Party are going to make it happen.”
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Associated Press writers Will Weissert and Amelia Thomson DeVoe in Washington contributed to this report.
