Leavitt says Trump is defying midterm headwinds on campaign swing
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Donald Trump is campaigning across the country to counter a difficult midterm climate for Republicans defending narrow House and Senate majorities.
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says President Donald Trump is determined to defy a challenging midterm political landscape as Republicans work to defend their narrow majorities in the House and Senate. In a Fox News Digital interview in her home state of New Hampshire, Leavitt described the president as defiant and optimistic, and said he is traveling widely to make the case to voters.
Leavitt acknowledged that the political environment is difficult for the GOP. The party holding the White House has traditionally lost seats in midterm election years, and Republicans are contending with persistent inflation that Americans see at the grocery store, high gas prices, and Trump's increasingly negative approval ratings. Polls, according to the reporting, show the war with Iran is unpopular, and high fuel costs are tied to that conflict.
Leavitt said Trump "totally understands that history is not on the Republican side right now if you just frankly look at the history books, but that's not stopping him from going out and barnstorming the country." She said he had been in North Carolina and South Carolina during the week and was scheduled to return to Michigan the following weekend.
Republicans also face what Leavitt described as a low-propensity problem, in which supporters of the MAGA movement do not always turn out when Trump is not on the ballot. "The president is getting out there and reminding voters what's at stake in this election and why it's so important to get out and vote in the midterms," she said, adding that he has been candid with voters that they do not typically turn out in midterm cycles but that the party needs them to this time.
Democrats, for their part, appear energized as Election Day approaches. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin wrote in a recent social media post that "the Republicans are running scared" and that they were spending more money in the reddest areas to hold on. Leavitt rejected that framing, arguing that the election presents a clear contrast between Republican candidates who favor cutting taxes and securing the border and what she called radical Democratic candidates. She also pointed to a significant cash advantage for Republican groups over Democratic Party organizations, saying the GOP is working to ensure voters understand what is at stake.
The comments come as both parties make their final pitches to voters ahead of the midterms, with control of the House and Senate at stake. Leavitt's remarks offer the Republican case for turnout, even as the party confronts historical patterns and economic pressures that have weighed on its standing.
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