Republicans fall into two bad camps regarding Trump: they either are true believers and support the authoritarian agenda or they are cowards who will not dare cross him. We need to elect Democrats in order to stop Trump. Even some Republicans who I suspect are pre-Trump traditional conservatives will not do what they know is the right thing to do, so they are useless.
All of the above being said, there are limits to how far I can go in supporting Democrats. While I would gladly welcome Chaz Molder's defeat of Andy Ogles, I could not vote for Aftyn Behn, however. In that recent 7th Congressional District race, I voted for Matt Van Eppes. I will not vote for a Socialist. To vote for a DSA is jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. I know sometimes it is a tough choice to make, and anyone concerned about Trump's authoritarian agenda has to make the decision of where to draw the line for themselves.
Back to the subject of this post. It seems Trump is doing all he can to ensure Republicans lose the midterm. The war in Iran is going badly, and gas prices are elevated and fluctuate day to day. With the election less than 100 days away, and people doing summer traveling, and gas prices being something people care about and are aware of, gas prices do not bode well for a Republican victory. If Trump had built support for the war among Congress and our allies and sold the need for this war to the American people, people might be more forgiving of the pain caused by the war and see it as a necessary sacrifice, but Trump went it alone and did not bring the country along with him. He alone will get the blame for the rising gas prices.
Also, Trump will not stay on message and tout the good things, or arguably good things, Republicans are doing, such as some things in the Big Beautiful Bill or the recently passed Housing Bill. He can't brag about the Housing bill because he refused to sign it. It passed despite Trump. I had reservations about that bill myself, but it could be bragging rights for Republicans if Trump had championed it. Instead of talking about economic issues, he can't stop talking about the "stolen" 2020 elections or engaging in his insult humor, attacking critics and reporters. Maybe it's just me, because I never did like it, but I think his schtick is getting old. Even if the base eats it up, when he is talking about the stolen election or insulting reporters, he is not focused on the economy. Also, when Trump's name is not on the ballot, many people who voted for Trump don't vote. He should be trying to make sure those people make it to the polls. He isn't.
The worst way Trump is sabotaging the GOP before the midterms is by going on another tariff rampage. While the diehard Trumpinistas believe anything Trump says even if it makes no sense, most Americans know that a tariff is paid for by the consumers. A tariff is the equivalent of a sales tax, and most Americans know it.
Here is what National Review had to say on the topic:
Trump Sabotages the Economy, Right Before the Midterms
by Jim Geraghty, National Review, July 28, 2026 - ... By obsessively hiking tariffs at every opportunity, President Trump has put every Republican running for office this year in a much tougher spot than they had to be — to say nothing of how his policies have made all kinds of goods more expensive than they had to be. It is one of the most astonishingly self-destructive moves any president has ever made in economic policy, and no matter how much the evidence piles up, the president insists the tariffs are working great, and that America is enjoying a “golden age.”
Incumbent Republicans, you could have been running for reelection in a roaring economy, but a president addicted to tariffs wouldn’t let you. ... 60 percent of U.S. adults say Trump’s policies have made the economy worse, while just 20 percent say Trump’s policies have made the economy better. ...
... Since taking office, the Trump administration has collected $445 billion in tariff revenue, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Where do you think all that money is coming from? If you said, “foreign countries,” you’re wrong.
... The New York Fed found “about three-quarters of businesses facing tariff-induced cost increases in both the manufacturing and service sectors passed along at least some of these higher costs to their customers by raising prices. Almost a third of manufacturers and about 45 percent of service firms reported fully passing along all tariff-related cost increases, while 45 percent of manufacturers and a third of service firms said they passed along some but not all of the cost increase.”
... tariffs are a big factor in the cost of living, which is a big factor in Americans’ perceptions of the economy, which are a big reason why Trump’s job approval rating is around 40 percent, which is a big reason why Republicans are in trouble in the upcoming midterm elections. (read it all)
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